Life On Venus - Encounters

„Name your price“. Aktuell kann man „Encounters“, das erste Album des russischen Quintetts Life On Venus, über Bandcamp digital beziehen und den Preis selbst bestellen. Fans von Dreampop und Shoegaze - denn nicht umsonst benennen Dima, Marat, Gulya, Sergey und Aline ihre Einflüsse mit Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, Chapterhouse und Swervedriver - dürften die 10 Songs sicherlich am meisten zusagen. 

Die hallenden Gitarrenwände und der gehauchte Girl/Boy-Gesang lassen tatsächlich an Slowdive („Around The Sun“, „Shine“) denken, wird es etwas lärmiger, kommen mir Swervedriver („Kingdom Of The Day“) und My Bloody Valentine („Clover Fields“) in den Sinn. In einem Interview war zu lesen, dass die Aufnahmen in einem Theater-ähnlichem Gebäude in Sherbinka in der Nähe von Moskau schnell und zügig abgeschlossen waren - und darin liegt vielleicht auch der größte Kritikpunkt an  diesem Album begründet: Gerade in der ersten Hälfte der Platte (5 Lieder in weniger als 13 Minuten) enden einige Titel doch überraschend schnell und abrupt, ohne einen prägenden Eindruck hinterlassen und eine hypnotische Wirkung entfaltet zu haben. Das macht die zweite Hälfte (5 Lieder in 19 Minuten) dann etwas besser.

The first track, ‘Around The Sun‘ clocks in at just 2 minutes and thirty seconds, and yet despite this short duration, it accomplishes so much in such little time. It sets the tone of whats to come flawlessly with beautifully blended boy/girl vocals over a bed of hazy and light reverb coated guitars and driving, yet inconspicuous drumming. The sound is more in the vein of late era Cocteau Twins and Golden Age Slowdive than the more wailing rollicking gaze acts.
‘May‘ floats along like a perfect late spring morning, away from the noise and modernity of the city. When I hear this track I am transported to those grassy hills of my youth, staring up into the pale blue sky, feeling the breeze sweep gently across my face. Again, there is no heaviness, just a contended reflective quality like a lovers silly absent minded grin. With guitars running through that are reminiscent of Robin Guthrie, this is easily my favorite track.Though there is not a huge wealth of diversity in feeling and mood in the album (not a critique) ‘Secrets‘ does change up the feel, if just slightly. Bringing a heaviness and slightly darker shading to the album than other tracks have showcased, it is a perfectly lightly depressive vignette that adds more depth to the album. The vocals are both hinted at, and easily audible (though not discernible). The chorus lead guitar is at the forefront, playing a gorgeously ringing and sombre melody that adds a delicateness to the song.‘Rosetta‘ wraps up the album, beginning with reversed guitar (mirroring the first tracks use of the effect). It is another light breezer, soft and lightly yearning. “Come closer, stay by my side,” is sung overt and over again, as the track draws to its love-sick conclusion. Like all other songs on this album, it holds up on its own, but serves more as a piece of the whole.‘Encounters‘ is a gem, filled with beautiful songs that at times float lighter than air. It is not the type of album with go-to songs but really ought to be listened to as a whole, as there is a purposeful uniformity employed here. So soon into March, and already great releases abound… and this is among them.(Last Day Deaf)