~

A very clear example of popularity not correlating with quality. This obscure Russian band released a debut with flawless sound engineering as well as consistent songwriting of the highest caliber.

That being said, you should be aware that the music is very accessible and has little relation to progressive rock. The music is instead heavily influenced by classical music. For starters, all band members have a higher education in classical music training. Also, the leading instruments include a grand piano and violins. Elements of pagan folk/new age, and contemporary music are intertwined with the classical songwriting.

The more energetic moments are fundamental in making this album dynamic and exciting, without breaking the gentle mood, even when crunchy electric guitars and driving motifs are present. That is an example of smart arrangements and sound engineering.

The gorgeous (and often multi-layered) vocals take a major presence in every song (and some of the intermissions) and elevate an already great album into a moving and highly relaxing listening experience. They generally are soft and airy yet blends really well with the harder- edged moments throughout the album.

Personal favorite moments: The quality is surprisingly consistent but I seem to be replaying Intermission 1/Inside, and Touching II the most often.

Final Rating: 4.5 stars and highly recommended to anyone who loves good melodies.

EDIT: changed to 5 stars, remastered version fixed a few minor flaws, improved sound quality, and enhanced arrangements even further.

Send comments to Zitro (BETA) | Report this review (#878959) | Review Permalink
Posted Wednesday, December 19, 2012

I'm in a busy period. I downloaded the album when the band was suggested for inclusion and I have forgotten it after a while. Then I've seen it mentioned by a reviewer as one of the best albums of 2012 so I went back to it.

I've been immediately hit by the female vocals. Initially they reminded me of bands like After Crying, also thanks to the excellent piano which follows the initial choir, but this is a different thing: the classical influence is strong but the vocalist adds a folky touch to music that's peaceful and relaxing but has a dark low-layer.

The feeling is very well represented by the album cover. The sea is dark and it rains, but there's not a storm. Even in this conditions watching the sea can relax.

The piano is the main element in all the tracks. When the ensemble plays in its entirety the musicianship of all the elements is clear. The third track "Burn" features an excellent violin. The vocalist sometimes makes me think to Christina Boothe of Magenta, sometimes to Sally Oldfield and even to Heather Findlay.

Another remarkable thing is the strings arrangement. The fusion between the strings and the traditional "rock" instruments is effectively a fusion. All the elements are well integrated.

But the best chracteristic of the album is in my opinion its "progression". If you let your attention to be captured, it's like reading one of those books that you can't stop reading until they are finished. I don't know if there's a concept, I haven't followed the lyrics, but the songs give the impression of a story to follow.

Together with Distorted Harmony I think this is the best debut album of 2012 and iìm giving it the same number of stars. I'm only regretting to have waited so long before giving it the attention it deserves.

Send comments to octopus-4 (BETA) | Report this review (#897818) | Review Permalink
Posted Wednesday, January 23, 2013

This deliciously innovative debut release from iamthemorning finds the band presenting a distinctive sound to the world. It reminds me attempt to produce material with symphonic prog sensibilities without resorting to the symphonic prog conventions of the classic 1970s era, instead adopting a gentler sound focused around acoustic instruments and Marjana Syomkina's gorgeous vocals. Imagine what would happen if a group of classically trained musicians with prog inclinations got really into Kate Bush's sound on Hounds of Love, stripped out the samples and electronic effects, upped the classical content and then extrapolated from that, and you're in the sort of ballpark these guys are playing in. The album can be downloaded from their official Bandcamp site in your choice of electronic format at a price you personally select (even free, if you like), so there's little reason not to sample this unique act.

Send comments to Warthur (BETA) | Report this review (#897953) | Review Permalink
Posted Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Incredible. Beautiful. Original. Innovative. Brilliant. Versatile. Audiophile. Expressive. Thought-provoking. I could just go on like that. I was completely blown away when IAMTHEMORNING were introduced to me by a friend on youtube. Wow! They really know how to use their wonderful craftmanship to ... (read more)

Report this review (#960126) | Posted by TheRelayer | Thursday, May 16, 2013 | Review Permanlink

First of all, this album is very well promoted, being on-line distributed by "one-click" free downloading from the band's website. With its fresh sound, excellent performance, amazing female voice and high production quality this easy-of-access album guaranteed the wide audience and PA reviewers' ... (read more)

Report this review (#955161) | Posted by groon | Monday, May 06, 2013 | Review Permanlink

This band plays neo-classical music in combination with folk and progressive rock, but it would be better to describe it in one word : Iceland. The music of this distant, fairy tale country can't be confused with any other, so if anyone has ever heard Mum, Sigur Ros, Bjork they'll know what ia ... (read more)

Report this review (#952823) | Posted by karins | Thursday, May 02, 2013 | Review Permanlink

What a debut! After seeing multiple reviews of this band along with the beautiful album artwork, I felt compelled to check out Russia's iamthemorning...boy was I in for a treat. From what I understand, the members are all classically trained and still in college at this time, yet "~" could'v ... (read more)

Report this review (#938557) | Posted by ThumpinBass | Tuesday, April 02, 2013 | Review Permanlink

Iamthemorning firstly caught my attention not because of their third position on Progarchives (I'm a newbie here), but because of the name of the band. As a huge Oceansize lover grieving about their separation I caught this band as a straw that could save me from drowning. I thought that it is ... (read more)

Report this review (#937525) | Posted by almostreal | Sunday, March 31, 2013 | Review Permanlink

I kind of felt compelled to listen to this album after seeing it at the top of the 2012 list. Besides that, it's free; so you basically must give it a shot. That said, I've seen many great reviews for iamthemorning's debut album entitled "~". That title is quite appropriate, but I'm not even ... (read more)

Report this review (#928407) | Posted by Second Life Syndrome | Monday, March 11, 2013 | Review Permanlink

This album being the best album of 2012 (as of March 2013), really? Although this album isn't bad, I wonder how it can surpass Big Big Train, Anglagard and Co. It's merely prog related and much more classical / folk with some rock orchestration here and there. Piano and violin are the main instr ... (read more)

Report this review (#925241) | Posted by phillihp | Wednesday, March 06, 2013 | Review Permanlink

I was very surprised when I saw that Iamthemorning's album got such acclaim on Progarchives. I knew this band right from the time they started to create music, and I listened to them on many live performances for the last two years. In the beginning there was nothing but celestial piano and he ... (read more)

Report this review (#923935) | Posted by Alderamin | Monday, March 04, 2013 | Review Permanlink

I certainly hope I do not sound too arrogant, but I will have to disagree with the "majority opinion" about this band and especially this particular album. First of all, I think the only real novelty that the band is introducing in this record is the band itself. Yes, now we know that there is a ... (read more)

Report this review (#922026) | Posted by Argonaught | Sunday, March 03, 2013 | Review Permanlink

When i first time heard this album, i was stuned. It was to me inconceivable, that it's not in top 100 PA albums, because there are not many albums that i can rate as better than this one. And the longer i listen to it, the better it appears to me. First thing that must be said about Iamthemornin ... (read more)

Report this review (#921452) | Posted by Argor | Saturday, March 02, 2013 | Review Permanlink

It's a very big pleasure for me to say that music on this LP is as beautiful as this album's cover, because '~', the first record by Russian art rock/post-rock band iamthemorning, became probably the best debut of 2012. iamthemorning was formed in 2010 in St. Petersburg, their music collides pos ... (read more)

Report this review (#890643) | Posted by ole-the-first | Thursday, January 10, 2013 | Review Permanlink

iamthemorning offered this album for free, so I listened to some of the previews, and downloaded the album. Listening to the album in full was a pleasant surprise. This album isn't totally prog, but more folk rock/indie. The influence of classical music in this album is obvious. I found that th ... (read more)

Report this review (#890135) | Posted by zeqexes | Tuesday, January 08, 2013 | Review Permanlink

~ is a refreshing stream of beautiful crossover/chamber rock/folk rock songs often interlinked by interludes/etudes called "~[intermissions]" (there are six not intcluding the two long breaks of silence amid the final 11m42sec 'song' "i.b.too" [8/10]). The often-piano-based songs showcase the ... (read more)

Report this review (#888869) | Posted by BrufordFreak | Sunday, January 06, 2013 | Review Permanlink

--Very relaxing album-- I downloaded this album after following a link in the "free prog" thread on the PA forum. Of all of the legal free music I have ever gotten, I have to say this is in the top percentage. The songs are well written, and it has a great mellow quality that is lacking in a lo ... (read more)

Report this review (#832975) | Posted by Apollo2112 | Thursday, October 04, 2012 | Review Permanlink

Iamthemorning - "~" 18/20 I'm writing this review now with the hope of this album moving up the charts, but will write a more detailed review in January when I post my albums of the year (of which this is very high). This is a phenomenal album. Not only that, it is free. FREE. FREE GUISE F ... (read more)

Report this review (#825544) | Posted by Gallifrey | Friday, September 21, 2012 | Review Permanlink

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