Silence Kit - Pieonear By Michelle Dee

Imagine my surprise when I received a disc from Moscow to review. It was attractively packaged with what I think may be a crude representation of a pangolin; possibly a polar bear but I favour the pangolin idea, constructed from snow and ice. The cover folds out to reveal a wealth of information I can tell you there are three tracks of varying length on Pieonear and that it was recorded at Parastudio and Home Studios in Moscow from the months of June 2003 to May2004.

Including the pangolin there are nineteen other colour shots in this well thought out and informative inlay card. Why am I so het up on this topic you may well be asking? Well I find that so many bands and musical outfits don't take any time and effort over their packaging. You are lucky if you get a hastily scribbled title in indelible ink on the Cd itself. So once more well done to Silence Kit for producing a reviewer friendly package.

So what mystery and intrigue awaits the one fortunate enough to purchase a copy of this light and dark creation of mammoth proportions. First of all you get three uncompromising tracks that blend seamlessly from one to the next. Okay you say. But there is a most pleasant surprise this Cd is of album length and quality.

Whilst whispering the name of Angelo Badalamenti, I thought I heard an echo of Vangelis tempered with the opulence and ethereal feel of Orbital. It is a very hard task to try and categorize this multi-layered, expansive composition. Ice and ghost guitars float around snow laden castle walls looking out over empty wastelands of tundra. Spoken word seeps in eerily, amongst cello and flute, resonating with the horrors of 9.11. Ravens swoop overhead cawing with ominous menace. This is the memory of an epic movie soundtrack for a re-awakened dream.

There are moments of such intensity that the pain and suffering of mother Russia can almost be heard. This pain is tempered with a piano precariously picking a way through percussion and random guitar noise. Among the clacks, hums, taps and whirring wheels of samples, a double bass can be heard.

Meanwhile a flute, possibly called Jupiter charms your very soul. There is also a brief vocal arrangement with a convergence of Eastern and Western sounds and styles.

Whilst listening to this audacious offering from Moscow it is impossible not to think back to the popular images of Russia's past. The K.G.B.held within secret corridors of power, long black limousines, stealthily creeping by in the dead of a winter's night on the way to a secret rendezvous. The darker more foreboding side to the incredible composition suggests the shadowy underworld still operating today where reporters and artists alike one day just vanish with no clues left as to there demise.

The spectre of the Red army, Hammer and sickle aloft marching forever onward to an uncertain future echoes the very tangible feeling of a people trying to create something new from the ashes of old Russia. The phoenix can be plainly heard rising from the flames on Pieonear. The very title is indicative of an exploration of un-chartered territory.

About fourteen minutes into track two Psychoparasite the most sublime chiming sound rings out which is just so breathtakingly beautiful. I cannot stress enough how bold Silence Kit have been in creating and producing an absolute masterpiece of huge proportion both musically and technically. Then to sustain this sheer genius for at least an hour is quite honestly beyond the realms of normal creative endurance.

Pieonear has to be heard to be believed an absolutely earth-shattering acoustic experience.

I don't know whether they do live shows I for one would be thrilled to see the cinematic majesty and menace recreated before my disbelieving eyes. www.silencekit.narod.ru

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