Even though Ukrainian ambient artist Oleh Shpudeiko strings together years-old bits and pieces from his back catalog, Kyiv Eternal still feels in the moment and of this time. Heinali has put in his love, heart, and soul into an ode for the city of Kyiv and it definitely sounds like it.
Oleh Shpudeiko creates enveloping ambient and electronic music with loops of electronics, synths, samples, and field recordings. Going by the Heinali moniker, Oleh is from Ukraine and is based in its capital, Kyiv. Exactly one year after of the war between Russian and Ukraine started and the failed Russian infiltration of Kyiv itself, Oleh released his new album. Titled Kyiv Eternal, Oleh has created a soundscape that is both stunningly beautiful as it is haunting. It's an honest, genuine, and heartfelt ode to the same city that has given Oleh so much joy, hope, and love. Although stringing together years-old bits and pieces from Oleh's back catalog, this album still feels in the moment and of this time. Viewing all the details outside of the music is still immersive: the track listing titling different aspects of the city, the album's solidifying and uniting title, and the album's cover itself which includes a photograph of a well-known monument in Kyiv that is bagged up for protection due to bombing.
Listening to the music is indeed a transportive experience, as if Oleh has sent you to the streets of Kyiv, listening to much of its beauty and atmosphere. Across this record there is a combination of blurry, luminescent synthesizers and electronics matched with a variety of samples from the city's environment. The album sounds like a healing experience and a positive reflective point in time to celebrate the strength, togetherness, and outpouring of love that is in Kyiv. "Tramvai 14" has a pretty cinematic ambient elements and a repeating sample of what sounds like a terminal in a transportation station of some sort, whether it's a bus, train, or plane type. "Stantsiia Maiden Nezalezhnosti" has a peppy sample of pop music coming from what seems to be a store speaker and sharply shifts to these gorgeous loops of electronics that I'd love to hear on loop for eternity. "Borshchahivka at Night" has some lovely crackling effects with some echoing wordless vocals shimmering throughout and is arguably one of the most stunning moments on the album. "Botanichnyi Sad" is another stunner that has glitchy keys and bird samples from a local botanical garden in Kyiv. "Peizazhna Aleia" is another favorite that is a breath stopper with a rising ambient noise that both calms and excites.
"Rare Birds" has some of the best ambient sounds on the album, reminiscent of some of the great GAS records I've heard over the past few years. "Silpo" has clattering samples and a hypnotic meditative sound. "Shuliavka in Winter" is a pretty sonic translation of what the chilly winters in Ukraine can be like, both visually and sonically. The majority of the album is fairly short but "Night Walk" is the longest track at over eight minutes in length. It has a solitary nocturnal groove that is blissfully shrouded in the moonlight of the Kyiv streets. It gallops along at a steady pace, patiently getting more and more loud, intense, and blown out as the track progresses. I do wish there was a bit more going on in the instrumental but I appreciate the lone focus on the minimal electronic groove and its patient progression. The album's title track is the brightest spot where you can feel the warmth of the synths covering you like a blanket. The album ends with "Coda," a short instrumental that has a gentle, soft traditional piano keys along with some field recordings of passing cars, dogs barking, and other city life, ending with a swirling wind of noise.
As much as I enjoy ambient music from time to time, I typically don't listen to or review too many ambient releases... maybe because of the lack of pop appeal or the difficulty of dissecting ambient music in general. The story and meaning behind Kyiv Eternal interested me when it was first announced and the curiosity definitely got the best of me. The album isn't simply style over substance though; the music definitely is deserving of the attention just as much as the overall theme itself. Not only does the music tie in seamlessly to Oleh's wholistic narrative but it sounds beautiful, engaging and immersive throughout its eleven tracks. It's a great album experience from start to finish and I appreciate that the tracks simply do not go on forever and only stick around enough when they have something to express in its music. The album sounds great on headphones and the production and mixing is very thoughtful and intricately put together. Kyiv Eternal is quite a statement piece that is both beautiful and eerie with its electronics and sampling. Heinali has put in his love, heart, and soul into an ode for the city of Kyiv and it definitely sounds like it.
My Rating: 7 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Tramvai 14," "Botanichnyi Sad," "Borshchahivka at Night," "Stantsiia Maiden Nezalezhnosti," "Night Walk," "Coda"
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