One of the most famous Russian gothic collectives (in Russia and abroad) is based in Arkhangelsk. The band is a unity of three people - Count Ash (music), Anea (vocals) and Heleg (photo materials), though only two of them are involved in the process of music making. The group was formed in Arkhangelsk in 1994, but their first demo is dated 1996. Their "demography" includes two demos "Slovisha's Songs" and "Pra", which later were followed by "Lado World" CD, released in 1997 by Moscow label Exotica and partially based on the material of two demos. In the following years the band took up making contacts with world gothic audience (the appearance of Moon Far Away on two western compilations "Dark Ages II" and "Gothic Enigma II" was the result of this activity) and creative activity (both musical and photo art - the examples of the latter can be seen on their official site). Count Ash worked on his solo-project and at the same time on the new album of the band, called "Sator". By the end of 1999 the recording of "Sator" was completed, in april 2000 "Sator" album was released on CD by Kaliningrad based label BRUDENIA. The band is currently looking for a label to release it. Their composition "December of Times" from "Sator" is presented on Russian Gothic Compilation.

"Slovisha's Songs" - 1996 (demo tape)

"PRA" - 1997 (demo tape)

"Lado World" - 1997 (CD - Exotica Records)

"Sator" - 2000 (CD - Brudenia)


Compilations:
Dark Ages II - "A Scorpion Domain" - 1999 (CD - Arborlon Music)
Gothic Enigma - "To the Heaven Rhuanda" - 1999 (CD - Triton Records)
Tell Tchaikovsky the News - "Man is a Birdstower" - 1999 (CD - Exotica Records)
Russian Gothic Compilation - "December of Times" - 2000 (CD)

"Lado World" - 1997 (CD - Exotica Records)
Praesagium (4:18)
Amusements of Demiurg (3:43)
Noch Einmal (7:26)

"SATOR" - 2000 (CD - Brudenia)
To the Heaven Rhuanda (2:14)
December of Times (6:28)

MOON FAR AWAY "Lado World" - 1999 (CD - Exotica Records)

In 1996 the band Moon Far Away from Arkhangelsk became widely known in Russia on the demo-level. Searching for slipping truth the band roams through cultural labyrinths of various nations and times, trying to mix incompatible cultural layers, connected by deep contacts - the threads, that have the same source. Debut CD - is the mixture of ethnic motives, elements of European medieval culture, free improvisation principles and lion's share of esotericism.

MOON FAR AWAY "Lado World" - 1999 (CD - Exotica Records)

Moon Far Away comes from Arkhangelsk, but there is a feeling, that these countrymen of Mikhailo Lomonosov had long been living in the neighborhood with Anglo-Australian duo Dead Can Dance. The album "Lado World" is a pure kaleidoscope of many musical traditions from different corners of the world. One is not likely to use the term "conceptual album", but all the 12 compositions are to be listened in, so to say, a single impulse. They are not bound formally, but together, they make complete impression. Lomonosov would have been satisfied.

MOON FAR AWAY "Lado World" - 1999 (CD - Exotica Records)

Arkhangelsk is the city of odd electronics. At every corner, new myth, new sound, new picture are on the look out for you. Musical character of the city is Aleksey Sheptunov, who made half of the town fond of electronic harmonies, produced number of underground projects and who is the luminary of Arkhangelsk home-taping. It's quite an explainable widening of "exotic" space beyond the borders of Moscow to the gothic landscapes of Northern region. But it's not understandable, why such beautiful music is not recorded in Moscow and St. Petersburg. They're probably afraid to be blamed for imitating Dead Can Dance.

MOON FAR AWAY "Lado World" - 1999 (CD - Exotica Records)

Ambient goths from Arkhangelsk (that is indeed exotic) hiding under pseudonyms Anea, Heleg and Count Ash released their first album on Exotica label (it's not difficult to guess). Songs with lyrics of Cicero, Steiner, Nietzsche and others, including the texts of Count Ash himself (our own Homer, Milton and Panikovsky). It's natural, they sound enormously like cult band of Russian students of the end of 80's - Dead Can Dance (some similar traits include even cover artwork). Anyway, this is a gladdening fact that still there exist people, who are not afraid to play, and moreover, release good not fashionable music.

MOON FAR AWAY "Lado World" - 1999 (CD - Exotica Records)

One can hardly consider this collective Arkhangelsk situated band. Yes, they live here, but their music can't be referred to any particular place. They are as cosmopolitan, as the Moon depicted on their logo. They have gone far enough, in the direction, set by Dead Can Dance. Out from this "farness" (I dare call it beautiful), Arkhangelsk is almost unseen. But that doesn't matter. Moon Far Away embarked on a journey through the labyrinths of European middle ages and they feel there like home. There's an impression, they got accustomed to living in those (exotic for many of us) worlds so, that it's rather hard to surprise them. As experienced travelers, Moon Far Away just fix their impressions coming across different cultures and epochs. We have nothing but listen to them, to ponder over. One can't relax listening to this music. Various details, yet unnoticed, start appearing on and on. The process of listening to this album reminds an excursion: you are in the state of permanent mental stress, fearing to miss a single word of guide's comments. The role of the guide belongs to Moon Far Away, of course. Absorbing, but it's hard to perceive such a great number of ideas at a time. A little bit later, you begin to realize that despite the gothic somberness, the album is rather light and ethereal. With primal and conceptual eclecticism it's complete and organic. And Sheptunov himself is an excellent melodist, in spite of some visionary stuff and cultural background. It will be too bad, if the band remains another talk of the town of local "golden" youth. This band deserves better lot.

MOON FAR AWAY "Sator" - 2000 (Brudenia)

So it happened! The second CD of Arkhangelsk goths MOON FAR AWAY finally reached us. Frankly I've got it long before as a demo-tape but I decided not to review it and to wait for better times. Why? The answer is quite simple - I think that no album has redundant elements - everything - frontcover, layout, sound quality and the music material itself form the single picture, which can be judged only as a whole and not as the separate elements. MOON FAR AWAY finished the work on their album this winter - hereafter the most complicated thing was started - the quest for the label to release it. As far as I know, MFA sent some demos to the western labels, but as the result the album was out on Kaliningrad based label Brudenia (This is the label of Vladimir Igoshin which is famous for the release of the debut ROMOWE RIKOITO CD and two unique Russian releases of foreign bands LEGENDARY PINK DOTS and ATTRITION). What was the reason for that? Whether western labels haven't shown due interest, or their terms were unprofitable, or probably MFA released their album on Russian label because of patriotic feelings? I have no idea, but I agree with one thing - the fact that this CD was released by Russian label is a great plus and I am sincerely glad that Russian labels interested in our gothic music start appearing. And now let's turn to the album itself. As to the frontcover artwork - it's rather stylish on the whole, though I don't quite understand, why the wooden orthodox cross is depicted there - I have always thought they propagandize north paganism. Oh well, it's not the point but the music is - what are we going to hear on the CD? We hear that MFA has worked out its own style at last! One naturally can draw parallels to western bands, but do they matter anyway? The album is rather original - and this is the beauty of it. Stylistically it's a kind of an ambient hybrid of new age and partially ethereal with ritual elements, but how is this original mixture related to gothic? That's a debatable question, but the mood of the album is undoubtedly gothic, but musically it isn't at times and it was by right characterized as "Russian Ambient" in Projekt's sale list. MFA really succeeded in keeping this "ambience" in both releases - but the new album is more solid and stable though contains ultimate hits - "Man is a Birdstower", "Dezember der Zeiten" (featured on "Russina Gothic Compilation" under the name "December of Times"), "Schlaflied" and "To the Heaven Rhuanda". What really attracts in MFA is that M.Sheptunov (hiding under the strange "blackish" alias Count Ash), doesn't really care about the formal side of music, creating his works without looking about at others and without copying - that's a harder, though more interesting and noble way. One listens the album as a conceptual work that brings waves of light melancholy and romantic sorrow shades from the costs of the White Sea. Fair new age compositions and more melancholic ritual passages interchange each other. The music creates unique bright atmosphere and to my mind it was the goal of its authors.

Official MOON FAR AWAY Home Page
"Sator" album press-release (Results zine)

Count Ash
Anea
Heleg

address: Russia, 163061, Arkhangelsk, P.O.Box 215, Andrey Turusinov
e-mail: results_ark@hotmail.com