Yenisei is a river in Siberia and one of the mighty rivers that cut through this region in a south-north direction and the most water-rich river in Russia. Its length is 5,870 kilometers, making it the fifth-longest river system in the world, and the largest to drain into the Arctic Ocean. However Yenisei is also an instrumental post-rock band from Kraków, Poland. Yenisei recently released their third studio album. It's called Home and the follow up to their debut The Last Cruise (2019) and their second album Reflections (2021). Home is an independent EP CD with a total length of a half hour of music. It was recorded with the current line up which includes Grzegorz Cisek on bass, Michał Gawroński on drums, Piotr Grobelny and Piotr Klamiński on guitars, and Rafał Piniaź on keys, pads, and synths. With two guitar players in the band you might think that their musical directions might be going into metal and hard rock territories. But that's not the case at all. The band plays a haunting, sometimes melancholic post-rock style of music, incorporating elements of shoegaze, alternative rock, progressive rock and synthpop. Their music is mainly instrumental and based on the guitar patterns of both guitar players. Keyboards have a supportive role throughout the entire album. Sometimes the mainly mellow tracks sound like a wall of sound. Every space on the compositions are filled with instruments. The inclusion of guest vocals by Maciej Kowalski of .WAVs on Insecure marks for first time vocal parts on one of their songs. This is certainly adding a fresh dimension to their predominantly instrumental repertoire and it is advised to do this more often. It is also advised to come up with solos performed on the guitars and synthesizers. It brings more variety into their sound. Because everything sounds much the same on the six tracks! Difficult to mention any highlights and to compare them with any other band. Therefore I will not. Most of the songs have the same musical level which is OK by me. Not really groundbreaking and do not really stick into your head. It's easy to listen to and does not demand too much from its listeners. "When the World feels like a tempest, let the melody of home guide you back to tranquillity". Is the text written on the backside of the album cover. This one way or another indicates that we might be dealing here with a concept album, about home is the best way to be. Home is where the heart is after all. The conceptual whole is not only expressed by the motto mentioned earlier but also by reading the track list. The intriguing album artwork and layout by Jarek Kubicki, which is decorating this album in a beautiful way, gives a message. With a bird's nest, symbolizing home, in human hands. Also the flying bird on the back of the album cover indicates that she is flying home to build a nest. Home by Yenisei is a nice album to listen to. Nothing more nothing less. If you don't want your daily music too complicated this might be an album for you to investigate. *** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
