Album Review by EDF
Well this is a bit of a pleasure. The first ever Russian CD that I had ever reviewed was by Fedia Lavrov from St Petersburg. This young man formed Begemot in 1996 and the group eventually played stadium tours to rave reviews. 2000 was to be a year of change for Fedia who decided to record a solo album. He recreated the Beatles sound by using the oldest recording equipment he could get his hands on to great effect.
Now Fedia is back with a new project, which he calls Somnambula whose sole purpose is to use non-Russian musicians for the live leg of the project. Unlike his first solo album, this is more up to date and rockier and is just as impressive as he plays most if not all the music on the album himself. The album itself has an indie rock feel through most of the tracks and just as it was with his previous solo album, it is hard to believe that this guy is Russian.
REFLECTED AT FAULT sets the tone of the album sounding more like UK indie rock. NO STRANGERS starts off sounding like U2 and then finds its own feet when it reaches its big chorus. DREAM ON, DEMON, a slow relentless guitar track conjures up images of Fedia’s fighting with his demon. The title track, LIVE IN LOVE AND DIE IN SEX, is darker in tone both musically and lyrically. SEVEN DAYS IN SUMMER breaks the mood and is more of a breezy pop/rock track. You could nearly mistaken PEUGEONS for a Marilyn Manson track with its authorities guitar hook.
Next we are treated to three bonus Fedia tracks from his first solo album. Listening to these three tracks has reminded me how good the tracks were from his first album. Fedia, always looking for new angles has hit on an interesting concept to promote this album. Early word has it that this album has gained interest from European and U.S. radio stations. Looks like things are going in the right direction for Fedia.
