LITTLE TRAGEDIES

I have not written any reviews for a long time but I am writing this one as this album is my favourite prog release of 2009 and I want to share it with you all and promote this album a bit - it doesn't have any reviews yet. The abum is available for free download from the Little Tragedies website. Little Tragedies are a Russian band and usually sing in Russian, which might be a problem for some listeners but in the case of this album, there will be no such problem as it is totally instrumental. The album is also a Christmas album. However, as there are no lyrics and no traditional Christmas tunes, it is an album that you can listen to throughout the year. If the cover art were changed, you could be forgiven for thinking that it is not a Christmas album at all. In terms of music, it is difficult to pick out favourite tracks as they do sound quite similar to each other. The music is mainly quite melodic and cheerful although it does stray towards fusion territories sometimes (tracks 1, 8 and 14) but this is quite rare. For those of you who like harder-edged prog, you might prefer to start with these tracks. The main feeling I have when listening to album is that it really is magic - it makes you feel that you are going to a magic shop - or even a magic funfair. I am reminded of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker sometimes by the tunes. So give this album a try if you want to be transported to a magic place - you do don't you?

My first approach to Little Tragedies was through their second album, "Return", which left me thoroughly underwhelmed. Indeed, their particular brand of bombastic, ambitious retro-prog is not for everyone, no matter how accomplished it may be. "The Cross", however, is definitely a much more mature effort, though it does take a lot of attention and repeated listens to be fully appreciated.

As Little Tragedies' mainman, Gennady Ilyin, is a classically-trained keyboardist and composer, it will not come as a surprise that the band's music scores very highly on a technical level. Luckily, unlike other bands (especially in the field of progressive metal), Little Tragedies avoid ultimately pointless displays of mere technical prowess, and concentrate on producing music that flows in a pleasant way, with some occasional moments of lyrical beauty. Besides the obvious influences from vintage Seventies prog, there is a lot in Little Tragedies' music that harks back to the great Russian composers of the 19th and early 20th century. The epic sweep of their sound largely manages to avoid cheesiness, as do their lyrics, based on authentic poetry (in this case written by early 20th century poet Nikolai Gumilev) rather than some dubious concept. Kudos are due to MALS for including English translations of the texts in the CD booklet.

With the sole exception of the lively "Tanets" (i.e. 'dance'), influenced by Russian folk music, all the tracks on "The Cross" have vocals. Unfortunately Gennady Ilyin delivers Gumilev's verses in a style closer to reading aloud than actual singing, while the band's peculiar style would call instead for a commanding, dramatic voice. The poetry itself has the vividly descriptive, almost visionary quality typical of the Symbolist movement, coupled with a strong mystical flavour, and Gumilev's fascination with the exotic.

Musically speaking, "The Cross" is a veritable orgy of keyboards - synthesisers, Hammond organ, piano, even harpsichord. Little Tragedies' sound on this album is purely symphonic, almost devoid of any contaminations with the harder-edged forms of prog - with the sole exception of the powerful double-bass drumming that often underpins the lengthy keyboard passages. The occasional presence of woodwind instruments adds a romantic, atmospheric note to tracks such as the stately "Portrait of a Man".

The album's longest and most complex composition is the 19-minute, mostly instrumental "The Voice of Silence", which alternates fast-paced passages with slower, majestic ones. Yuri Skripkin's precise, high-energy drumming lends further intensity to the more dramatic keyboard flights. The Gothic-tinged "Behind the Walls of the Old Abbey", bookended by harpsichord, develops into a no-holds-barred synth-fest much in the style of ELP's "Toccata"; while the opening of "Lakes" may bring to mind Genesis circa "Selling England by the Pound".

Fans of classic symphonic prog, especially of heavily keyboard-based bands like ELP, will not fail to be impressed by "The Cross". However, the foreign-language lyrics, coupled with Gennady Ilyin's idiosyncratic vocal delivery, might be a turn-off for some listeners. Needless to say, this is not an album meant for those who like their prog to be actually progressive in nature.

Fans of ELP rejoice. This Russian trio, Little Tragedies, has crafted a very fine album rooted strongly in the tradition of they that created a "Karn Evil 9." The keyboards have the greatest presence, sometimes recreating harsh string melodies, but the bass and drums do more than merely provide a steady backbone. As musicians, they are excellent, executing several complicated passages, sometimes one directly after the other. As composers, they are questionable. The big downside of the album is the scarcity of musical themes that anchor the performances, which range from rigidly structured works to seemingly improvised jams. That said, this album is highly recommended to those craving symphonic progressive rock music in the purest sense- classical-sounding pieces interpreted through rock instrumentation.

"Notre Dame de Paris" Bright cathedral organ begins this pompous ride. It does not adequately prepare the listener for the bombastic bomb of sound that follows- barrages of drums, synthesizer, and bass. The only respite permitted was in the beginning- everything else about this piece is harsh, frantic, and unrelenting synthesizer magic.

"Montemartre" Further church organ ensues, but stops abruptly to allow for a dark jazz rock excursion- something completely unexpected. The latter part of the piece is laden with overwhelming synthesizer leads, which are quite astringent at times.

"Hotel des Invalides" After an eerily childlike introduction, warlike music begins, boasting drums and dark strings. Lively bass dances in, but generally speaking, the atmosphere remains thick and menacing. Were it not for the instrumentation, I might mistakenly believe I was hearing a lost Igor Stravinsky piece.

"Napoleon" Perhaps the most difficult of all the pieces to follow, this one begins with a long, soaring synthesizer note, which screams over heavy chords, and soon a volley of keyboard notes crash in from all directions. Stark drumming interrupts the piece, but is soon joined by strings. It is all over the place- I can't really say that I enjoy the constant dissonance and intensity, but I refuse to go so far as to condemn this work as uncreative. The squealing synthesizer lead is rather annoying, however.

"Jardin Du Luxembourg" Bass and strings open this rather brief piece before ominous organ and drums join it.

"Arc de Triomphe" Airy, almost windy keyboards usher in a screeching, malevolent synthesizer lead- what I imagine the wretched denizens of perdition would sound like if momentarily set loose from their prison. When the piece proper begins, it possesses a fuller sound, yet that wailing lead guides the listener through the cacophonic journey to a radiant conclusion.

"Moonlight People" More delicate fare arises here on this transitorily ethereal track, which has only keyboard instrumentation- a simply beautiful, almost nostalgia-inducing affair.

"Romantic Walz" Percussive organ is joined by percussion to create a flighty piece that is chock full of runs and solid bass work. Wailing synthesizer enlists in the fray, sometimes feeling out of place. The build toward the end is magnificent, even if the lead instrument must spoil it.

"Relayer" As with much of the rest of the music, the constant torrent of keyboard runs can be wearisome to endure, and this problem drastically worsens in several places here. Incidentally, some of their most amazing work can be found here though- it's just a matter of bearing with the deluge to enjoy the gems.

The Paris Symphony contains the first material ever recorded by Russian outfit Little Tragedies. The main composition, divided into 6 parts, makes up the most of this production, while three bonus tracks recorded in 1996 has been added as bonus material.

What we're dealing with is music pretty much in the realm of ELP. Bombastic symphonic rock with a big emphasis on the b-word and the s-word, while the rock as such takes a back seat. Lartge, dramatic synth cascades and flurries mix with organs of various types - all emulated presumably - while bass and drums set up the basic foundations for the bursts, flurries and overall bombastic keyboards.

Technically it sounds dated, with a highly synthethic sound, and the recording quality leaves a lot to be desired as well. Especially on the main portion of the CD, where the music actually breaks in the loudest, busiest segments. Still, in despite of this The Paris Symphony is an intriguing affair. The compositions are pretty strong, and the main negative part of this venture is due to the recording quality rather than the compositional or performance aspect present.

Wwll worth investigating for fans of the genre, as long as they can tolerate the technical weaknesses.

A highly compelling creation from this fine Russian act.

Richly textured keyboards and synth patterns is the dominating aspect of this production; with soaring solos and floating sound layers as well as gentle explorations almost ambient in expression. The compositions are very well made, constantly changing and evolving but taking care to revisit themes and to evolve carefully and planned - where the sudden changes in pace, intensity and sound are utilized to good effect without ever feeling out of place in the select instances they are utilized.

Besides keyboards and synths, of which the Hammond is one, distinct and often jazz-tinged bass underscores, drawn out guitar riffs or acoustic patterns is a part of the sonic tapestry too, and some neat drumming of course. The overall style is symphonic progressive rock; looking back to the 70's for inspiration - with Genesis and ELP as the most distinct influences. It's very well made though, and the Russian vocals; performed in a talklike manner; is probably the only aspect of this album that will limit it's audience amongst those who love this style of music.

Highly recommended.

Originally recorded as the first solo album by Gennady Ilyin, The Sun Of Spirit was issued as the second album by his band project Little Tragedies instead, almost 2 years after it was made.

We're dealing with an album taking on many many different flavours of symphonic progressive rock excursions here. The opening three numbers are compositions that appears to be best suited to a classical symphonic orchestra, although the keyboards do manage to convey these moods pretty well. These are followed by a track adding techno-inspired rhythms to the proceedings and then the vintage sounding excursion "Thoughts", that should sound familiar to fans of ELP.

Next up are a couple of baroque-inspired explorations; while the title track have stronger leanings to the so-called Neo-prog sound ovcerall - a gentle atmospheric venture.

A well made and well performed album within the symphonic genre; not highly original but satisfying all around - as long as the vocals of Ilyin isn't bothersome. His vocal performance is somewhere in between spoken voice and song; which isn't to everybody's taste. The same goes for the Russian language probably. If those facets of this album isn't deemed bothersome then this is an album worth checking out further.

I fully agree with colleague Collaborator Erik Neuteboom who said that this album is amazing. That's the same reaction I experienced when I played it for the first time especially with its first track "Dreams I" (5:59) which has intense multi-layered keyboard drive throughout the song. The opening part is an ambient nuance with exploration of keyboard effects plus guitar. The music then flows nicely with punctuated keyboard sounds followed by nice Russian singing. The next track "After Death" (8:58) brings the music in more dynamic way on keyboard as well as drumming. You might say that this is an ELP or Keith Emerson keyboard-driven exercise but you might also say that this is when ELP plays progressive metal. It's merely due to the nature by which the pulsating keyboard is accompanied by fast speed music that moves the music in complex and even technical experimentations.

"Credo" (12:57) reminds me to ELP's "Fanfare for The Common Man" in faster tempo. Throughout the track you can find full nuances of ELP music even though the sound is much more modern and the drumming is not as dynamic as Carl Palmer. Approaching mid of the track the tempo of the track slows down followed with vocal line. This time I can sense the music is similar to CAST (Mexico). "In the Deserted House" (4:33) is mellow in nature. However, the keyboard makes the music quite dynamic especially when it's combined with energetic singing. This track requires no drumming and it has intense symphonic vein. "Games" (6:23) is another excellent track with powerful singing and solid composition. The rest of tracks are also excellent.

Overall, the music of Little Tragedies is quite varies in styles and complex in structure / arrangements. I would consider this as an excellent addition to any prog music collection. Keep on proggin'..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

The second part of Little Tragedies Chinese Songs release to some extent continues where the first one left off, with a nice mix of symphonic rock tunes and more ambient new age inspired music.

But in this second chapter the inspirations seems to have faded slightly, and the band ends up adding variations to the sound and the style here without being able to quite meet the standard they set in the first part - although it is a close call. Opening number Letter To My Wife is the weakest song here; containing many fascinating and intriguing elements but that doesn't quite seem to gel as a tune. After this tune the rest of the album holds high quality overall, but only one tune that is extraordinary - the calm, mellow and dreamy instrumental tune In the Moonlight. Final track The Boat by the Lake is Only for Three. comes close to being this albums version of Wanderer in part 1, but lacks something to be quite as transfixing for me.

A bit more variation in styles on this second part of Chinese Songs, but still with a mix of mellow, ambient new age tinged songs and symphonic rock tunes being the name of the game here. If you liked the first you'll approve of this one too; and if you haven't heard the first part check that one out before this release.

Closing in on a 15 years long career, Little Tragedies showcase some excellent songwriting skills on part 1 of their Chinese Songs release.

The album basically comes across as a mix of two styles: Lush, ambient and slightly new age soundscapes and epic, dramatic symphonic rock not vastly different from Emerson, lake and Palmer in style.

Layers of synths are a dominating fixture in all tunes, and the piano is a very central instrument as well. Melodic, floating and carefully crafted melody lines in the mellow songs and segments are mixed beautifully with complex melodies in the more pounding prog rock tunes and segments, with piano, guitar riffs, keyboards and synths all providing parts of a melody - except when one of the instruments are soloing; then the other instruments underscore in a very nice manner.

Good and interesting compositions here too, fans of symphonic prog rock that also enjoy new age like or ambient music will probably love this release; as long as the all Russian vocals isn't a problem.

I don't know Little Tragedies too well, but I did follow some of the relative hype surrounding their albums New Faust and Six Sense. I only heard the former and liked it quite a bit with its heavy keyboard driven prog. Regarding Chinese Songs, I have read good reviews of Part I and mixed reviews of this album, Part II. I decided to give it a go nonetheless. I have to say that this album delivers some great dynamics, spacey-symph parts which flow great and really clicked with me. The first song, Letter To My Wife, starts with a tune that has a nice ring to it, but nothing too interesting (somewhat made me feel it's a Russian folk tune) but then in middle track they go on to a higher level, unleashing their abilities and playing their hearts out. The second track will seem as filler to some, but it's a nice quiet tune. With the third song, My Heart is Sad, Thoughts in Dismay again we have a nice and sad tune opening and then giving way to keyboards and the rest of the lineup for them to develop this and add an emotional instrumental part leading to a small climax. However, this song does not come out well for me; it feels like some idea that didn't develop as it should have. Vernal Wind, Road Dust has a wind-instrument sounding keyboard playing what might sound as a south- American tune. The melody is quite nice, but again, not enough is done to develop what could be so much more. I'm saying this based on what I heard in New Faust and maybe this is not fair, so take this into account if you know the band's other output and know this not to be the case. Then we come to My Century's Events are Worthless, which starts with a powerful riff (powerful in this album's standards). There's a nice tune that keyboards paint, backed by the energetic guitar. It then seems to fade away into space but it quickly recuperated by great guitar riffing and keyboards to give the illusion of a prog-metal song. This is what I expect these guys to do. They show their talent here, though not all of it; this is the ground they should build on and not settle for what came before this song. There is great playing in here (even made me think of Dream Theater), nice development of some of the ideas coming up in the song (though not enough) but given that this is the only song on this album that reaches this level makes me wonder what is it that they set out to get with this album. However good this track is, I actually think that the opening track is better in structure since it showed a more coherent form and aim, plus I really digged the instrumental segment. The closing song, The Boat by the Lake is Only for Three, despite being long, and thus have a potential for developing interesting musical ideas, fails to do so. It's a silent track that I can't figure why they thought it should be featured on the album and if so, why such a long track. Not that it's a bad song, but there's nothing too interesting about it, not really fitting the rest of the album's atmosphere too well (though I know other albums that do this and like it, but here I don't think it is a wise choice).

There is a melancholic feel governing the sound of this album. As if life, however good it gets, can't evade this gloom that seems to pervade everything. To compare to New Faust, I feel as if there is less experimentation or maybe less developing of ideas, not enough "progressivity".

One thing must be said about the language; I for one have no problem with non-English lyrics and even prefer it that bands sing in their native tongue. However I never liked the sound of the Russian language; despite that, it works fine for me and I have no problem listening to them. But for those of you who can't tolerate anything not sung in English (and I've met some people like this), then you should take that into account with this album.

To sum up, this album has some decent and pleasant songs on it, but overall I'd say this is not a release I'll be going back to listen to in the future too often if at all. I don't find it memorable or particularly