Lost in Time: Iamthemorning – ~

Genres: progressive rock, chamber pop, chamber folk (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Oceansize, Ludovico Einaudi, Riverside, Sigur Ros
Country: Russia
Release date: 27 April 2012

Some artists are so iconic they don’t even need an album cover: think Metallica or The Beatles. Their work speaks for itself by their pedigree of brilliance—the music speaks for itself in these instances, not needing any additional context. Likewise, the symbol as an album title is a bold way to eschew listener expectations, such as Sigur Ros’s ( ), allowing the music to inform perception rather than external aesthetic decision. Thus,  ~ is a curious and extremely bold title for a debut album, alluring in its neutral minimalism. Similar to their Icelandic forebears, Iamthemorning wanted to let their music speak for itself without preconceived notions of the sound, to judge them by their music alone. The music within ~ does so with delicateness and grace to be full of delightful levity.

The duo behind Iamthemorning—Marjana Semkina (vocals) and Gleb Kolyadin (piano)—met in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2010 and named their project after a track on Oceanside’s debut album, but the two are now based in the United Kingdom after the recent political turmoil in Eastern Europe. Each possesses an amazing penchant for crafting deceptively simple songs which unveil their complexity on further listens. Moreover, their styles blend together seamlessly, along with the other guest musicians on violin, viola, cello, bass, guitars, and drums to come together into a complete, chamber ensemble soundscape. Semkina’s vocals have an unusual airiness in her soft voice, effortlessly floating above the sea of music underneath her. The lyricism stands in stark contrast to the airy delivery, though, as she sings of “dead victorian girls and premature burials,” providing a haunting atmosphere, surprising considering ~’s elegance. Her counterpart and co-writer in Iamthemorning, Kolyadin uses his composition and performative skills—he is an accomplished classically trained pianist, after all—to provide a sensible backdrop for Semkina’s shied, beautiful voice. Often performing simple, postminimalist variations on a theme for swaths of any given track, Kolyadin frequently switches quite seamlessly into richer, full-bodied classical- and jazz-influenced playing. Semkina sometimes follows Kolyadin’s lead into a more dramatically intense style (like in “Burn,” “Scotland,” and “Monsters”), though she also remains in her breathier range to provide some playful contrast at times (“Circles,” “Serenade,” and “Afis”). That the duo can practically function as an extension of one another on a debut album is incredibly impressive, but the two have a chemistry on ~ few musicians are able to achieve.

The production, cozy and warm, adds another element to the duo’s intricate dance. Despite Semkina’s soft delivery, her vocals shine through in the mix and are especially amplified in the occasional harmonizing rounds she does with herself, prominent in the intermission tracks (particularly I, III, and VI) and “Afis.” When the host of other performers join in with the duo, none overwhelm the main duo, and “heavier” tracks like “Burn” and “Monsters” include drumming which almost feels like a gentle caressing with the drumsticks rather than a normal rock style, a gentle pitter-patter like rain with the stick clicks and syncopated grooves. Even with other performers, the duo remain the driving force with the strings and electric instruments only adding texture to amplify Kolyadin and Semkina to greater heights, especially notable on “Inside” where the guitar almost sounds like a sitar and in “Monsters” with its distinct rising viola runs to help Kolyadin in boosting up Semina’s most full-chested vocals on ~. When the small ensemble achieves these bombastic moments, the death and pain underlying the themes of Iamthemorning seep through, and the post rock-esque crescendos in the track structures substantially help hammer home the intense emotions behind the album.

One may be inclined to think with that cast of instruments that ~ is stereotypically proggy: it’s anything but except for in spirit. Iamthemorning draw from pop in their track structures and from chamber folk in their textures, but their bursts of rock and varying soundscapes end up culminating into a strikingly progressive overall sound, truly forward thinking for the scene. Moreover, angelic and alluring, Semkina’s voice is fresh in a masculine dominated scene, and her unique style pushes an album such as ~ to be even more memorable and essential in the overall progressive world. With Kolyadin’s ever-evolving piano lines, the whole project bleeds of restrained virtuosity.

Since ~, Iamthemorning have upped their progressive tendencies, adding a late-era Riverside influence into their chamber folk basis, but the melodies on ~ have a brilliance in simplicity that stands out even in their stellar discography, bouncing around in my head for the rest of eternity in their restrained, delicate movements. Few other artists fill this niche, and Iamthemorning tapped into a sound that is accessible and beautiful: this album started it all for one of modern progressive rock’s most unique acts—it’s criminal they’re even underground enough for me to cover with their blend of victorian stylings with pop, classical, jazz, folk, and, of course, prog rock. ~ is currently name your price on Bandcamp, and I strongly encourage every reader to go check it out immediately.

Recommended tracks: Inside, Burn, Weather Changing, Monsters, Would This Be
You may also like: Gleb Kolyadin, Exploring Birdsong, Mariana Semkina, Raphael Weinroth-Browne, Haralabos Stafylakis

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Kscope – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Iamthemorning is:
– Marjana Semkina (vocals)
– Gleb Kolyadin (piano)