HUMAN FACTOR

"Gathering" intro à la LUSTMORD, hunting horn, trombone exactly, voice from beyond the grave, atmosphere of the end of the world; It starts well to bring us to "Riding the Giants" unveiling the HUMAN FACTOR sound, a strong, sustained rhythm, keyboards, post guitars, omnipresent drums; some NASA-style vocals and a fast, crystal-clear tune for pure energy. "Opal Voids" on a post-rock sound, a bit melancholy, the vibrating guitar reminds me a little of the COMA ROSSI; what amazes me is the time that passes quickly, the simple air moreover with that more rhythmic feel that easily transports into the stratosphere; the initial spleen brightens up with the synths provided, the sound becomes repetitive and calm. "Sagittarius A" continues on the same track, disturbing air, stroboscopic, the synths are more present, fat, arriving like waves incessantly; the environment takes us to an orchestrated musical disruption, just to hold our attention; then it sets out again on a crescendic, bewitching variation.

"Upstream" and reverberations of guitar notes, the synths are fruity, colorful then intimate, melodic and melancholic; you can feel the sounds of electronic bands in the background, while looking more modern, fast and energetic; air in syncopation, fog is falling on you, it all becomes mysterious; spatial sound to get away from it all; mid-term slowdown to give pride of place to hypnotic synths. The title leaves you in the middle of a little sticky notes; final focused on drums and guitar in stereo.

"Sagittarius B" and the fruity, energetic interlude, which leaves like a normal post-psyche title, but there it ends too soon, too bad; perfect starter for "Himiko's Lament" as a soaring and horrific intro, ideal for a game of S-F, the air might remind you of the "X-Files" in slower; it goes up with the post recognizable guitars then the different synths which give a singular musical screed; break with a guitar solo bordering on lament then it starts again with all the instruments together, even those that Jean Michel JARRE could have played; a little more electric sound of IRIS. "Naked Singularity" on a VANGELIS-style base, very quickly erased with a heavy guitar riff, then variation, cascade of post notes (MONO, GOODSPEED), a vibrant tune, more techno synths at one point, it ends on a syncopated sound with thinner layers; this mini riff from the start is coming back and deserves to be explored further.

"... And a Silver Lining" ends the album rather short, after all, which shows that the simple and well- constructed arias pass very quickly; an endless rise with bass, drums, guitars and especially these rich and fat synths; the post digression in the middle softens the effect then one of the rare guitar solos before the effusion of notes, resumption of the central air before an end of the house with some Gregorian voices reminding that it is time to return on the pews of the church, uh on the replay key, spellbound I am.

HUMAN FACTOR shows that the instrumental is not dead, that resonating notes can induce pure moments of happiness. A contemplative, dreamlike, modern sound, a sound worthy of an EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, an INDUKTI in addition to those mentioned above; a modern synthetic evolving, melodic sound, a music that can lead to an opening out of time to soar, to recharge your batteries. Not bad for an instrumental group.

Although few Russian bands seem to have broken out onto the global stage, my experiences with the Moscow scene give me the impression that it's a city with a strong music underground. Human Factor are a fairly recent name to the Moscow roster; a spacey instrumental band recently featured on ProgStreaming.com. A supergroup of sorts, Human Factor draw in a number of musicians from established acts together, most notably from the instrumental rock quartet Infront. If this debut is any indicator, Human Factor have a promising future ahead of them. Bringing forth a raw, yet undeniably atmospheric approach in their sound, Human Factor have started things off on a good foot.

Human Factor are rightly labelled under the 'space rock' umbrella, but there is just as much of a post-rock style at play here. "4.Hm.f" may be brooding and patient with their sound, but the soaring leads and keyboard ambiance are always backed up by a strictly composed rhythm section. Considering the amount of otherworldly atmosphere in their sound, it's of special note that the guitar tones Human Factor use are kept remarkably raw. Although reverb is a rule on the guitar performances, there's none of the flashy effects alot of spacey bands tend to use. Instead, '4.Hm.f's vast atmosphere is conveyed through the moderate use of synth soundscapes and a compositional style that favours drawn out chord progressions. Human Factor's existing experience as musicians pays off well in regards to their songwriting. Although there are few surprises along the way, "4.Hm.f" lays down a solid foundation for the musicianship to flourish.

When it comes to the more post-rockish elements of Human Factor, I may be inclined to call them Russia's response to the Irish post-rock band God is an Astronaut. They have many of the same bold features, including (relatively) concise songwriting, and an atmosphere that manages to flourish in spite of the composition structure. It's no surprise when one looks at the resume for some of these musicians, but Human Factor's greatest strength is the sheer musicianship of the band. Although they rarely dredge into technical territory, there is feeling in each instrument, a quality made greater with the album's raw production and organic approach. "4.Hm.f" is nothing new, in spite of its unconventional take on space rock. There's a strong fusion of psychedelia, alternative rock and even metal here to boot. The laid-back atmosphere doesn't suit every mood and situation, but for long Winter nights- the likes of which I am sure these Russians are accustomed to- Human Factor make for a great listen.