“You got lost in the tangle of bare nights, Ariadna will save you.” Named after a Greek goddess associated with mazes and labyrinths, Moscow resident Kedr Livanskiy‘s debut album is preoccupied with mythology and how it could potentially guide the modern generation, displaced by Russian’s Soviet Union reconstruction, find their way through contemporary bewilderment.
One method Livanskiy uses onAriadna to showcase the similarities within reality and fantasy is borrowing poetry. On ‘Mermaid (Русалка)’, she takes a 19th century poem from Russian romanticist Mikhail Lermontov which contains the lines: “The mermaid swam the blue river, illuminated by the full moon. In an effort to reach it. On a silver wave of a foam“. It appears to resemble a common struggle in the within all creatures, fictitious or not.
Furthermore, on ‘ACDC’, she’s got musical veteran Martin Nowell (a man she likely admires for being at the forefront of DIY production in the seventies) to read the 1794 words of William Blake (The Tyger) which analyzes religious theories of creation: “When the stars threw down their spears. And water’d heaven their tears. Did he smile his to see? Did he made the lamb make thee?“. Nowell’s echoed voice and repeated phrases, along with thick progressive house bass and rave-associated trance blasts interestingly make him sound like Rollo from Faithless performing ‘God Is A DJ’.
Listeners who don’t have a grasp of the Russian language or a helpful translator app will heavily rely on experiencing the album through its sonic atmosphere, which is a combination of ambient experimentation and ticking house beats. Pairing these two elements with the language barrier give the album a destined slot on the Graveyard Shift of an electronic music station and a place in a rarely discovered cult collection.
It could also divide a listenership. Beautifully calming moments such as the instrumental ‘Sad One’ which feature a wobbling organ and comets falling from the sky using the Shepard tone technique (reminiscent of Little Dragon’s recent closer ‘Gravity’) and the patient, atmospheric and almost-The Terminator theme keyboard on ‘Mermaid (Русалка)’ could halt the House enthusiasts feet. While those more inclined to the blissful moments might be overwhelmed or bored by the thick and repetitive house beat presence on ‘Za Oknom Vesna остановка рассвет)’. Although both sets of fans will appreciate the homemade nocturnal DIY bedroom aesthetic to the album making it comparable to Grimes‘Visions.
Kedr Livanskiy’s voice is monotonous and distant throughout. This paints her as an introverted standoffish personality conveyed in a shoegaze singer or the hermit-like Stina Nordenstam. While words such as “My heart is ice. I don’t want anyone.” (‘Sunrise Stop остановка рассвет’) and “Don’t ask for me. I roam alone.” (Za Oknom Vesna) also add to Livanskiy’s portrait as being an antisocial, lonely and company-refusing soul, who desires to be independent as she navigates her way through a modern maze.
