Selyanina, Lena - "Oi Da Ne Vecher" [SP]

Absolute disaster (2/10) This is Lena Selyanina's modern take on the old Russian cossack song Oi Da Ne Vecher, conveying a mystical story of a cossack who sees a dream possibly predicting his own death due to the approaching 'eastern winds'. I'm stunned. This is so bad that I don't know where to start... The song is so beautiful and touching that such dull interpretation feels almost like a crime against humanity. Firstly – the singing. Completely devoid of passion, lacking the dynamics – so terribly necessary in this song. Speaking of terribleness: the way the vocal line is divided between several voices and then mixed together – just lousy. No creativity, no reason, no added value. Where are these vast Ukrainian plains, where's this feeling of longing, where's the needed space? Everything is so flat and claustrophobic like it was recorded in a bucket full of water.

The vocals are completely overwhelmed by music, what could be probably bearable, if it was of good quality. But it is even worse than singing. Horrendous drums deliver a final blow to already seriously injured recording. Not only they are low quality electronic samples, stinking of plastic - as unsuitable in an atmospheric folk song as it is virtually possible – but what worse, they are too loud and distinct. Each beat of a hi-hat is like a nail hammered into the heart of this beautiful melody. So out-of-place, killing all the atmosphere. The end result is primitive plastic electronica with some folk wailing in the background. Shame. Real shame. Having said that I must add that two elements are really good: firstly, vocals themselves (not to be confused with interpretation) – the vocalist is talented; if only she learned how to express the feelings. Secondly, piano is very good – well played and no ugly plastic sound here. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to save the song. A final note: I was pondering over the enthusiastic reviews and ratings this monstrosity received to this date. The most probable explanation is that for the Western ear the Russian folklore is so exotic and the melodies so touching and haunting, that the beautiful tune by itself is enough to play with their emotions. They are so moved by the melody that they don't notice the flaws of interpretation or don't recognize them as such. Therefore, I would like to ask anyone preparing to rate this piece with more than 6/10, to check out the two below songs: If you still feel like rating it with 10/10 after hearing them, please go ahead. The first one is another version of the subject song. But it is mainly sang by a man and it's recording quality is terrible, so check out also the second song: “Zoriuszka” from the great folk band Werchowyna. This is how Eastern Slavic folk can be played, my friends... And I dare you not to shed a tear... The album has been released on Jamendo and is available for downloading in mp3 or ogg format.