A Russian duo comprising singer Marjana Semkina and pianist Gleb Kolyadin, Iamthemorning formed in 2010 and soon received favourable attention from the progressive rock community; their second album (2014’s Belighted) featuring a contribution from Porcupine Tree’s famed drummer, Gavin Harrison and their third effort (2016’s Lighthouse) featuring Porcupine Tree’s Colin Edwin alongside Gavin Harrison and Riverside’s Mariusz Duda. Self-described as “chamber prog”, the band do much to suggest what might have happened if Kate Bush had fronted Genesis, with Marjana’s remarkable vocals adding an airy ethereality to Gleb’s compositions. As a result, I was more than a little excited when the beautifully-packaged fourth album, The Bell, arrived on my desk.
Opening with the harp-rinsed beauty of Freak show (featuring Andres Lzmaylov on harp), a track that sits almost exactly between the sumptuous progressive rock of latter-day anathema and Within Temptation at their most dreamlike, the first thing that strikes the listener is just how stunning Vlad Avy’s mixing and mastering work is. With clear separation between the many elements, he has given the duo a crisp, clean palette upon which to paint their increasingly wondrous pictures. Despite the breadth of the composition, at the song’s heart lies the interplay between Gleb and Marjana and as exciting as the piece gets, not least with some truly superlative guitar work from Vlad, it is their relationship that drives the music forward. What an opening track! At some seven minutes in length, it traverses a huge amount of ground from soaring prog to earthen jazz and never once does it feel contrived or overdone. It is a truly brilliant piece of music and it paves the way for the gorgeous (if slightly sinister) sleeping beauty. Opening on Marjana’s astonishing vocal, the track soon fills out, emerging as a cinematic piece of music that moves elegantly across its all-too-short run time. Based around a simple, acoustic lament, Blue Sea becalms the listener in wordless vocalisations and a performance on the piano from Gleb that threatens to overwhelm. It flows directly into the darker, deeper black and blue, a track built around subtle harmonies and a sense of atmosphere that is felt as much as heard. It leaves Six Feet to bring the first part to a close, a sense of whimsy to be found in the melody despite the impending finality of the subject matter. Reminiscent of the quiet disc included with The Gentle Storm’s exceptional album, the diary, six feet is an enigmatic piece that builds to a considerable climax before closing the shades on the album’s first half.
Opening part two, ghost of a story is a rippling, fast-paced piece of music that hints at a folk underpinning without devolving into simple pastiche, Gleb leading the piece from the front with his ever-remarkable piano playing. Richly adorned with harp, and strings from the St Petersburg Orchestra “1703”, ghost of a story brings the second half of the album to life. Next up, the subtle song of psyche seems to pass across the consciousness like a shadow, flitting through the woods, dimply seen but never caught in full form. In contrast, lilies recalls the very best moments of Kate Bush, arty-yet accessible and perfectly-balanced between Gleb’s increasingly ecstatic piano and Marjana’s evocative voice. The bright and breezy salute is another whimsical piece, a feeling enhanced by the appearance of accordion (Mr Konin) amidst the array of instrumentation on offer, although it builds to one hell of a climax, the gently wailing guitar once more recalling the magisterial grandeur of Anathema. It leaves the bell to bring the album to a close, the band employing the imagery of a tolling bell as a device with which to communicate with the past and ring in the changes of the future. It’s the perfect ending, resolving the lyrical and musical themes and leaving the listener cleansed as the disc spins to a halt.
Iamthemorning loosely exist within the prog category, but in many ways they are within a category of one. Although there are elements that recalls other artists, the sound and atmosphere they conjure is entirely their own and this magical, majestic album passes in the blink of an eye. Beautifully packaged, the attention to detail is that of a work of art rather than a commercial entity and it should be treated as such. Evocative, hopeful, beautiful and bold, the bell is simply stunning on every level. 10
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