TRAJECTORIES

Well, this one is hard to judge.I definetely prefer their recent instrumental "Awakening of the Elements" to "Trajectories". Yep, instrumental. I see you got the problem, right?

LOST WORLD is extremely great here with 3 opening spots - all are instrumental and sounding like AFTER CRYING jams with 80s KING CRIMSON (unique!).But later "songy" part strikes in, and there are no surprises anymore (except for few other instrumentals). The singer is NOT of that kind you'll adore, but the lyrics (in Russian) are very good, ironic, sometimes even sarcastic - if you want to check their sense of humour, just visit their site! It's worthy! Musically the "songy" part reminds me of another legendary Russian Art-Rock band AQUARIUM - to give you a chance to guess, close to TULL's contemporary style (hardly progressive but good anyway).

I'll recommend this one anyway, but you'd better start with the second one. If you'll love it, take "Trajectories" too and share your thoughts.

Fans of early King Crimson in particular and First-Rate Symphonic Prog in general, do not miss this album, please! This band is one of the main Prog-Discoveries at the present time!

The reviewed album has two components. The first one is completely instrumental music played by keyboards, violins, flutes and other instruments. This music is highly original, although may remind early British art-rock (in the first place, King Crimson) and After Crying. Imagine that songs like "I Talk to the Wind" and "Epitaph" are performed in Allegro (or Moderato), with virtuosity, complex chords and changing measures, tempos and moods by classically trained and (therefore) high-skilled musicians, and. and nevertheless we will not get a clear idea of this unique music (but track 12 contains some undisguised guitar "borrowings" from King Crimson of "Larks' era", although this track is nevertheless great). This is a something like an original, fine and "lyrical" mix between classical symphonic prog and neoclassical music played by people with higher musical education. Perhaps, the best instrumental tracks are 2 (imagine perfected and developed "Matte Kudasai" with excellent violins and flutes but without vocals), 3 (some associations with, first of all, Soviet symphonic music, perhaps, like Sviridov, and again, although in a lesser degree, Crimson of "Larks' era") and 14 (very fine, melodic, dreamy and pretty one containing tunes from track 7 and some associations with "Bolero - The Peacock's Tale").

The second component is music with vocals, that is, songs in a narrow sense (tracks 4, 7, 9, 11, 13). Well, mail vocal can be described as a tender, sentimental, dreamy, fond, affectionate, delicate and "loving". There are some associations with soft and intelligent versions of Soviet variety ("sovetskaya estrada"). This vocal is not for any Prog-fan, but is both beautiful and professional. I like it (and especially tracks 7 and 13)! Music of all these songs may remind early King Crimson (or After Crying) ballads and is consistent with the style and the mood of the album. I understand refusal to use this vocal in more later work(s) by the band. I repeat, it is not for any Prog-fan, many "hard-core" prog-lovers hate any vocals, especially if these are original and/or "standing out" (and/or dissimilar to Lake, Wetton, or Latimer). But often success among "Prog-specialists" and the Creation of Masterpieces are not the same thing. These words are not a critique of the second album by this band (well, unfortunately, I did not hear it so far).

Absence of good and "catching" melodies in tracks 5 and 6, perhaps, is the only (small) defect (if we also do not take into account the fact of "secondarity" of some "Crimson- based" musical ideas), at least, for me. Sometimes it seems that musicians really tune instruments. But this feeling is wrong. These tracks can be treated as a special kind of avant-garde, and they create some atmosphere and are not bad.

As a whole, this is a more than excellent addition to any prog collection! Highly recommended! Lost World has created the New World of Beautiful Progressive Music!

Sometimes you take punt ....

I had very little idea what to expect with this album. Well the trajectory 1 opened my mind in the sense that I didn't think it was possible to stretch a variation on the theme tune to Kitt the car from Knight Rider for a whole three and a half minutes. Trajectory 2 was different. Lots of speedy violin runs: tres impressive. A but by the time you get to Trajectory 3 you realize these guys must be jamming with gusto to a really full on Hoff episode: too much bad 80s TV theme music for me (no matter how superbly faffed over).

The vocals remind me of a sort of doped out David Sylvian. Is David a Hasselhoff fan?

The flutes of Splinters meld into the flute and synth of Birds like some sort of bad Dr Who freaked out Cyberman background music.

There's Day, Here's Night has a delicacy that is really quite sublime. It's great when you find a gem like this. Simply Beautiful (with a capital B).

The Two is a weird mix between flutes and more sci-fi background sounds.

The Yesterday Night has a very basic riff and goes a bit Munsters. Hmmmm has an almost Split Enz (True Colours) feel about it. No idea what the lyrics mean.

My well fave track is the stonkingly groovy Sirius: odd anf funky, weird and wonderful, is that a (southern states slide in there ?). This track is mediocre at low volumes but is best played at 11. It does everything but make you a cup of tea: excellent.

The Hills are breaking... and so is my will to live thankfully there's less than tow minutes of this. Now I don't understand the lyrics so this could well be filled with the deepest revelations affecting humanity in 2000 years but unfortunately it's all lost on me (a but for the want of a Babel fish).

Trajectory Z is experimental post rock: odd but pleasing and entrancing in a weird sort of way.

The album ends with a couple of nice tracks. I am definitely getting soft in my old age. The Day has Come & The Curtain: pleasant but pretty bland.

it's OK but not great. I couldn't really recommend this one.

In 1990 three Russian students, Vasiliy Soloviov , Alexandr Akimov and Andrey Didorenko decided to form a band under the name of Lost World.They put up numerous shows in Art and Music colleges and in 1995 they also recruited singer Alexei Rybakov.The band recorded seven albums and over 30 CD-R's, changing hands only in underground circles, however the seeds of their efforts finally led to the birth of their first official work in 2003, when Russian label Boheme Music released the debut ''Trajectories''.

Heavily influenced by Classical, Avant-Garde and Chamber Music and with the other foot grounded in the complex rock forms of KING CRIMSON, Lost World played an energetic Progressive/Art Rock with huge doses of energy and series of dark atmospheres, divided in 14 short tracks.Most of them have a very raw sound, reminiscent of ANKH, with violin and flutes in evidence producing sharp rhythms and atonal soundscapes.Another mass of tracks has an intense Chamber Music/Avant-Garde feeling, led by flutes, dissonant structures and deep sound/electronic effects.A few of them contain also vocals and belong definitely on the lighter side of Art Rock, sounding like smooth orchestral ballads full of string sections and delicate flute parts.Among these stylings the listener will also detect a light Post-Rock influence, especially when guitars take over.Maybe the lack of melodies makes this one a pretty obscure listening, but Lost World could definitely come up with series of strange yet attractive atmospheres created by the instrumental parts.

Weird mix of Chamber Music with Heavy Rock and light Post-Rock, that deserves plenty of careful listenings to be appreciated.''Trajectories'' is a recommended album, among the ones that walk on the path of future regarding Progressive Rock music.