I love my soundtracks for the simple fact that they are so musical, a clear structure and arc of beginning, middle, and end—and as a narrative piece this certainly fits the bill.
A solid eight tracks of story-telling
My first exposure to both the Mestnost label and the work of Andrey Rasputin has left me ever so slightly drained—not that the music is tiring or in any way bad, more that it’s both very evocative and effective in making one reflect. With Cherta-nova, Andrey attempts to provide a narrative of a geographical area, one with rich and varied history and appearance; often mysterious and in some places quite dark. The author themselves describes the reminiscence of a past serial killer and the question of the presence of any ‘cherti’ (Russian for ‘demons’) in the locale.
I love my soundtracks for the simple fact that they are so musical, a clear structure and arc of beginning, middle, and end—and as a narrative piece this certainly fits the bill.
Each track is emotional and really feels like it’s been structured with a specific outcome in mind, rather than composition for the sake of composition. Loops don’t go on for longer than they need to, musical components that abruptly cease, obviously do so for a reason, and there is a clear intention that shines through in each of the pieces.
The opening piece “Chertona” is odd with its beginnings but quickly sets the tone with an assertive almost polyrhythmic beat that never gives up control. The bit-crushing may let up but the beat certainly doesn’t. With a middle portion where all of the stability is thrown out of the window, its almost worrying that I find comfort in the reappearance of something so sinister for the final portion.
Substantially there’s a multitude of dub-style and two-step rhythms but with plenty of complementary phrasing from the percussion. It’s quite nice as it really does leave it up to the listener onto which they choose to latch on to. A couple of tracks offer something slower and steadier: “858,” and “Medvezhka,” both being prime examples.
Although the release is generally-ominous, there are clear moments of promise and positivity that shine through—perhaps reflecting the area of Cherta-nova itself. This reaches a head in the final track, “The Chinese Wall,” that offers a real opportunity to reflect on the tour we’ve just been taken on.
Leading up to the end, both “Komkor” and “Terrace” offer this happier place—the former should be a firm favorite for any fans of Ochre with great chord progressions, distant and subtle accents that both manage to cut through the larger statements and hold up on their own when given their own stage. It’s my go to piece of the release.
Overall this is a solid eight tracks of story-telling that has many interesting moments and clearly comes from a place in the artist’s heart—whether that is a place of love or not adds to the mystery of the release and it’s worth a listen so you can make up your own minds.
Cherta-nova is available on Mestnost. [Bandcamp]
