Marjana Semkina – Sirin

This is quite a significant comfort zone break for me. I am primarily a metal listener, and I wouldn’t have expected to end up repeatedly listening to an album like this, let alone to review it. But here we are. The non-metal musicians that grab my attention are few and far apart, not because I have a problem with other genres, but because I’m so hooked on my primary auditory drug that it takes a lot more than “good music” for anything non-metal to draw my attention. And that brings us neatly onto Marjana Semkina, who she is, and what makes her so brilliant.

I’ll admit I heard her name being mentioned in various prog circles, but it wasn’t until I saw her band, Iamthemorning, performing live, that I really became interested. Their live performance is nothing short of hypnotic and I recommend anyone go see them. With the experience of that concert in mind, the news about “Sirin” was met with a considerable amount of curiosity and excitement that I didn’t even know I had for her music. All this to say, I’m not exactly educated on dark folk, chamber prog, or whatever genre label is most appropriate for this album. Think of the following as a clueless outsider’s opinion.

“Sirin” grips the listener with its relaxing atmosphere and pretty vocals. At first, it comes across as easy music that you can listen to passively. Just let it fade to the background as you do some work, or my favourite option, doze off on the beach while listening to it. The occasional maritime motifs in the lyrics fit that scenario like a glove. Ok, I had to flex my recent holiday… But regardless, if you want to lower the stress levels and set a good vibe, this album should be among your top choices for that. It sounds like scented candles smell. It’s auditory wholesomeness at its finest.

Marjana Semkina – We Are The Ocean

But I’m a nerd, and a good vibe will only take me so far. I gotta dive into the details. And the truth is, when it comes to “Sirin”, its true value lies in the details. There are a ton of different instruments putting together the sound of this album, some of which I probably can’t pronounce properly. It has a very rich soundscape that you can keep unraveling, finding more and more details and nuances with every audition. Some tracks are more atmospheric (‘Pygmalion’, ‘This Silence, This Dreaming’), others are more groovy (‘We Are The Ocean’). But the contrasts from song to song aren’t too striking, and there’s a coherent flow from one song to the next. On the groovy end there is a neat blend of drums, both organic and electronic, a very fluid and prominent bass that steals the attention a lot more than I initially expected, and a lot of acoustic guitar. Occasionally there’s sprinkles of piano and a string quartet layered on top of the groove, creating a richer, more melodic and vibrant soundscape.

In the album’s  opener, these elements all come together at once, and keep a steady energy throughout the entire track. But on other songs (‘Lost But At Peace, ‘Angel Street’), the soundscape builds gradually, allowing you to single out each instrument on its own. Then you get to realize that although the surface level appearance is “easy”, there is actually a lot of subtle technicality and finesse, and it’s not present just for the sake of being there either. I’m used to technicality in the metal sense of fast playing and flashy skill display, but here it’s a lot more about the control and attention to detail, to get the emotion exactly right. Above all else, this album is meticulously crafted. Some guitar leads are also present, most of which I love the solo in ‘We Are The Ocean’, that gives pretty strong rock’n roll vibes and still makes that work in this context.

Marjana Semkina – Pygmalion

Vocally, everything is also brilliant. Marjana is a queen of head voice and tenderness. She has incredible control over her vocals, allowing a lot of emotion to come across, often through very subtle variations in tone and volume, and through cleverly placed and splendidly executed vibratos (‘Pygmalion’). The layering is also brilliant, with doubling of certain key lines and backing vocals pushed further in the background. When the full instrumental soundscape is active, the vocal line is the main melody to focus on, but when paired with only one or a couple of instruments, it feels like there’s an interplay between the vocal part and instruments. There are also two guest vocalist appearances on the album. Jim Grey from Caligula’s Horse is featured on ‘Anything But Sleep’. His voice is similar to Marjana’s in the sense that they both tend to sing in high registers and use a lot of head voice. Contrasting to this, on ‘Death and the Maiden’, we have Mick Moss of Antimatter, who has a much lower and deeper voice. Both duets are very well executed, with the vocalists exchanging lead and backing roles and coming together towards the end.

Now we get to the element that got me completely sold on this album, and that is: dynamics. You rarely find dynamic mixes in metal, but here, the volume is constantly shifting up and down in accordance with the evolution of the music. Some intros are so quiet that you need to give it your full focus to notice what’s happening, and by the time all the instruments kick in, it is big, vibrant and energetic. ‘Pygmalion’ is the best example of this. Even more so, I think the dynamics might actually be isolated for each instrument, so you don’t always have the entire soundscape change volume at the same time. This allows certain instruments to dominate while others fall to the background and then to alternate. The string sections ‘This Silence, This Dreaming’, and on Jim Grey‘s verse in ‘Anything But Sleep’ are my favourite examples of dynamic moments on the album.

Marjana Semkina – Swan Song

When I decided to review this album I was worried that given my lack of knowledge in this genre, I’d have nothing to say about it, but I’ve been ranting for a while and I feel like if I keep thinking about things, I’ll be able to keep going. But this should be enough to give you an idea of what makes Marjana Semkina and the artists she works with so brilliant and worthy of praise. She is a musician with a clear and unique vision, and deep knowledge of her craft and abilities, and she leaves nothing to chance. If chamber music is your thing, I suspect you will like this album, and if it’s not, I’m living proof that you should give it a chance anyway.

Track List:

1. 1. We Are The Ocean (03:16)
   2. Lost but at Peace (04:40)
   3. Anything but Sleep (feat. Jim Grey) (04:24)
   4. Pygmalion (03:34)
   5. Angel Street (03:27)
   6. Death and the Maiden (feat. Mick Moss) (06:23)
   7. The Storm (03:09)
   8. Swan Song (06:04)
   9. This Silence, This Dreaming (04:06)