Build An Mp3 Player

On and On, the debut long-player by British prog/psych-rock quartet Syd Arthur, is an inspired journey not unlike Herman Hesse's classic novel Siddhartha, to which the band's name cheekily refers. Self-produced and recorded by the band, the album is remarkably fluid in its style and construction. Boasting a rich and heady display of prog, jazz, pop, and psychedelic fusions, On and On distinctly carries a torch for the group's '60s and '70s Canterbury forebears like the Soft Machine, Gong, and Caravan. Though rooted in the footsteps of past pioneers, Syd Arthur are by no means a revival act. Their quirky time signatures and elegant folk-funk are uniquely of their own design and represent a studious group of players reaching far into their collective id, then refining their explorations into something more subtle and accessible…

The Russian composer Sergey Akhunov (b. 1967) was educated at the Kiev State Conservatory, before he started his career as an oboe player. He subsequently gained experience in various musical styles and genres such as electronic music and rock. In the mid-2000s, he consistently turned to composing orchestral, chamber and vocal music, but also film music. This recording presents vocal music by Akhunov, including "Songs", which he wrote as a commission for La Voce Strumentale. Dmitry Sinkovsky as the spiritus rector of the recording - he is at the same time singer (countertenor) and conductor - succeeds in an impressive way, among others seconded by soprano Julia Lezhneva in three songs, in combining tonal contemporary music with the sound of an early music ensemble.