Russian-born Vitaly Zolotarev, who now lives in New Zealand, has released a CD which contains an excellent blend of EM, electronica, and spacemusic, all of it wrapped up in an intriguing concept, i.e. “This album is my humble attempt to imagine the world of those who may look different but have the same feelings like you and me.” To paraphrase his liner notes further, the songs are the artist’s reaction to the eternal question “What if there are beings on the OTHER end of our telescopes wondering if WE exist and what we are like?” It’s a thought-provoking question and the music on Looking at the Stars rises to the occasion by mixing and matching the genres listed above, yielding music which is stimulating and almost always highly entertaining, at times transporting me to distant planets in far flung stars systems . Recording quality all around is exceptional, especially with this being a “one man show” (only mastering was done by someone else).
There is a variety of music here, so the mood also swings from serene to dynamic. The soothing spacemusic of the opening “Universe” and the closing “Night” (a gentle ambient piece with soft rhythmic bell tones, sparse piano, subdued glitch beats and flowing synths) represent the quieter aspects of the album. The electronica and EM tracks, such as the midtempo melodic “Mechanical feelings,” the high energy “Far voice,” which marries piano with buzz-saw synths and plenty of retro EM touches, and the trippy “One” with its cyber-beats, twinkling electronics and catchy melodies, are symbolic of the positive energy and overt cheerfulness of that part of Zolotarev’s vision.
Comparing Zolotarev’s Looking at the Stars to other artist’s recordings may be somewhat problematic owing to the diversity contained on the CD. Some might connect the dots to albums by Todd Fletcher, Current (Robert Solheim), Geodesium, Can Atilla or Peter Mergener, all to lesser or greater degrees. However, that’s still not taking into account some of the truly unique offerings on the recording, such as “Breaking up (Interlude)” and “Making up (Interlude)” on which the artist created an alien language for the two “people” who first “break up” and then “make up.” Yeah, it’s gimmicky, and the vocalizations are indeed alien (at one point sounding like Jabba the Hut laughing!), but it’s well done and so sincere that I actually got into it! The former track has the sound of street life on the inhabitants’ world set against forlorn piano, while the latter reduces it to just a repeating sad refrain on piano and the reconciling phone conversation. Another oddity is “Alien party (featuring DJ CXL)” which I assume is meant to be an alien DJ spinning at a rave…again, it sounds preposterous in print, but damn if the propulsive electronica, percolating beats, and weird effects don’t all fit in with the flowing keyboards at the heart of the “song.”
As someone who has been reviewing music since 1996, I have a lot of respect for artists who can craft something this creative, unique, yet retain accessibility and maintain a high level of quality (the mix on this album is outstanding on headphones). Discounting the short “alien” cuts on the album (although I personally enjoyed them), if you consider yourself an EM/electronica/spacemusic fan, Looking at the Stars should prove a worthwhile addition to your collection. Vitaly Zolotarev’s interweaving of melodies amongst the electronics and beats makes the album a standout recording and one that I highly recommend.
Top
