Album Notes

The sound of homemade wine being poured into glass mugs. Roads that are inverted (more pothole than not). Old sisters in matching headscarves. Village parties with tables literally piled with food, piled so thick and high that you can’t see the table. Last minute ‘cognac’ mixed from pepsi with vodka. Stale bread and fresh cheese. Cars driven by men with gold teeth and twinkling eyes. The sun on the river. Maria Baranovska’s face when she is overwhelmed with love and reaches out to kiss someone’s face. Slava playing with the puppies. Colour.

Visiting Kodyma on the invitation of the Baranovsky family, I found myself wide-eyed with cultural jetlag. The culture shock comes through in the incongruities. The colours against the grays and browns. The warm smiles despite a backdrop of hard lives. The charm of the place juxtaposed with the realities.

Konsonans Retro plays a vibrant soundtrack to these impressions. Their repertoire reflects their lives on the periphery of geographic borders, and popular expression. From playing traditional repertoire in their childhood home in Zagnitkiv to performing radio standards, they bring a vitality to their music that defies hardship and goes beyond romance.

Avia Moore