A Closer Listen
As the war continues to rage in Ukraine, Ukrainian artists continue to make vital, vibrant music, often under the hardest of conditions. Gianmarco Del Re has been chronicling their struggle in real time in his ongoing series, Ukrainian Field Notes, which to date has sparked a book and two compilations. In this article, Richard Allen chooses his favorite releases from the hundreds covered on UFN in 2024. If you enjoy what you hear below, we encourage you to return to the ongoing series ~ now closing in on its 40th installment ~ to hear the podcasts and read the interviews with these remarkable artists.
Our cover image comes from Andrey Kiritchenko’s Maria, which is listed below.
Alexander Stratonov ~ Inglorious Officers: Russian Torturers in Kherson / Kamikaze Drones / Call Sign “Batman”
Last year, Alexander Stratonov appeared on this list with his score to the documentary Bucha: Final Destination, one of three that year. This year he’s repeated the hat trick with two documentary film scores and one documentary series score. The dramatic music scores atrocities that are worse than any in fictional horror movies. Peak moments include the 22-second “Thundering at the Gates,” the electronic “Wind Whispers Goodbye” and the industrial toned “Pieces Shift.”
Andrey Kiritchenko ~ Maria (Touched Music)
An ebullient tribute to Ukrainian artist Maria Prymachenko, Maria glows with color and life. Each track is named after one of her paintings, while the album seeks to honor her “faith in the power of love, goodness and everything beautiful that surrounds us.” For identical reasons, every episode of Ukrainian Field Notes features a cover image of her work.
Andrii Kunin ~ Lost Toys (Liki Pid Nohamy)
Sometimes, as in “Toy Story,” toys are lost because we outgrow them. Other times, they are “left behind in the wake of war and displacement.” The album slides back and forth between wonder and disillusionment, telling two stories at once. Under the invasion, many children have lost their innocence far too early. Kunin’s hopeful music suggests that one day, with time and victory, they may recover what has been lost.
Clasps ~ Take Charge and Move In (mystictrax)
Can creativity still exist in a time of war? This initial query led to the creation of Take Charge and Move In, made even more salient after Clasps mobilized. The answer, obviously, is yes; the follow-up question is “What kind of creativity?” We’ve seen Ukrainian music go in two directions at once: an added poignancy married to firm resolve. “Re-Rooting (feat. Daryna Paras) is a prime example, with fragmented vocals laid atop industrial-strength beats.
Comechelet x que ~ TIME (re.core)
Released only a few days ago, TIME is a tribute to loved ones separated by distance, and the ways in which their experience of time is distorted. The album begins in beautiful ambience, but builds to an electronic peak in “To all the mutilated souls (we will sing to them),” dedicated to those lost during the invasion and subsequent war. The music has universal appeal and an emotional heft, somehow making the distance seem smaller.
Khrystynya Kirik ~ Soundtrack from I She Her/ Я Вона Її / Sub-Sur-Face (the second of these on Liki Pid Nohamy)
The first release is the score to a puppet performance that explores the stages of a woman’s life and the stereotypes she faces. From ambience to field recordings to piano to harsh beats, it’s a study in dynamic contrast. Sub-sur-face is even more ambitious, the score to “a performance exploring the spectrum of human existence.” Bells, double bass and drone explore the world below the surface, not only geologically, but psychologically.
Monotonne ~ Related (Dnipropop)
Ten tracks featuring ten Ukrainian collaborators, Related is the follow-up to this spring’s Unrelated. Many of the artists on our ACL year-end list can also be found on the album, which unites some of Ukraine’s finest musicians under the same banner. Words like “peace” and “home” appear in the titles, as a yearning for safety pours through the ambience and between the beats.
NFNR ~ Fragility (WAAGE)
Sometimes an awareness of fragility can lead to gratitude, a theme explored by Olesia Onykiienko on this confident release. Head straight to “Sprotyv (Resistance),” which contains recordings of an unarmed protest in the city of Kherson. One can hear the people, the problem and the power all at once. “No one knows how long our hearts have left to beat,” writes the artist, who makes the most of every moment here.
NINA EBA ~ MORPHO / RE:MORPHIX
First the artist released an amazing album, then a remarkable remix album. The astute pairing of MORPHO and RE:MORPHIX represents a play for mainstream notice, yet without any compromise. Whether addressing relationships or war, NINA EBA succeeds in communicating a singular vision. The most direct piece, “Cocoon,” speaks of fleeing the horrors of the invasion: “just not to die, I’m running away / just to feel strong, I’m running away.” NINA EBA’s live sets are an added bonus!
Potras23 ~ PTRS (Dnipropop)
Potras is a devoted father, as well as a Marine who redeployed after losing a leg in a landmine explosion. PTRS addresses both the comfort of home and the horrors of war. The energizing club tracks would be perfect for training exercises, while the finale “Kotuky’ features Sofia Leshyshak singing a lullaby that helped the artist’s youngest child to fall asleep.
ummsbiaus ~ Enerhomor Suite No. 2, Op 5 / Metro Suite No. 3, Op 7}
ummsbiaus continues to score the invasion with electronic suites that take on the form of modern composition. Enerhomor Suite incorporates the sounds of systems falling apart, operating as both industrial music and the sound of industry. Metro Suite descends into the Kyiv metro system, “the biggest and safest shelter in the world.” In each instance, the understanding of our relationship with our surroundings is changed.
Volodymyr Ponikaryoviskyi ~ Morze Zostanie / Море залишиться / The Sea Will Remain
The score to a theatrical play written by Oleg Mykhailov (Kharkiv, UA), adapted and directed by Kostiantyn Vasiukov, begins with the sound of the sea, which reappears in the closing track. The sea has lessons to teach, as does this emotive music, which dips into melancholy and rises into confrontation. In the end, one gains a sense of endurance in a time of uncertainty.
YUVI ~ спомину любову (Iriy Records)
Experimenting with language, music and voice, YUVI (Uliana Avteniuk) shares a sonic world that seems at times otherworldly. There’s an edge to this music, which the artist admits began with a bout of depression; the later tracks point their faces toward the sun. It’s not surprising that one might respond to an invasion with darkness; perhaps more surprising is that one can fight their way to the light.
V/A ~ Blue and Yellow through Black and Gray (Syrphe)
In order to fully appreciate this album, one must either watch the videos or click on the lyrics; twelve (mostly young) Ukrainian poets are heard here in ambient settings from fifteen recording artists. “We melted as butter in porridge,” writes one poet. “what is stars for her is trenches for the wounded with him,” writes another. One of the finest closing stanzas: “our house has no walls / so it cannot be moved, / our house has no walls / so it can’t be demolished.” There’s anger here, and heartbreak, and love, and hope. “The scariest thing is to die without ever having breathed.”
V/A ~ Resistance: Compilation of experimental music from Ukraine (Flaming Pines)
Igor Yalivec’s compilations span the period just before the invasion to the current day, holding a mirror to the music of Ukraine. An undervalued scene has now become endangered. And yet, the resistance has continued to inspire the world. The artists on this compilation have not given up; quite the opposite. As heard in the title track, they continue to demonstrate grace under fire.
V/A ~ Ukrainian Field Notes Volume II (система | system)
It is certainly no surprise that we include Gianmarco Del Re’s eBook and compilation here; the surprise is that the key track comes from the compiler himself, who traveled throughout Ukraine and retuned with the vibrant sounds of everyday life: a populace unbowed, still able to laugh and smile and sing. 34 other artists also contribute to this quilt of modern post-invasion music.
V/A ~ (Uncertainty) FUTURE (Corridor Audio)
Corridor Audio was our Label of the Year in 2022, and this massive thirty-track compilation is a demonstration of their strength. These club cuts move the body while nourishing the spirit, while the title’s punctuation chooses one path over another. The future was always uncertain, but the fact is highlighted in times of war. The remaining decision is how to react.
Richard Allen
Fri Dec 06 00:01:36 GMT 2024