A Closer Listen tends to be positive in its reviews, so sometimes it’s difficult to tell what we like the most. This page highlights the releases we have on repeat.
For the past four years, Gianmarco Del Re‘s Ukrainian Field Notes has been covering the creation of art in a time of war. We continue to be amazed at the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the vibrancy of Ukrainian music. Some of the finest works to emerge since the invasion of February 24, 2022 have been released this year; below is only a sampling.
In the Modern Composition field, Vadim Neselovskyi translates Ukrainian monuments into music, while Natalia Tsupryk covers the entire war to date, from air raid sirens to memorials. Radio host Kvitoslava, recording as kyïvite, translates the series Кияночка into a full album, highlighting the breadth of traditional Ukrainian music in an experimental collage format. ummsbiaus unveils yet another chapter in an ongoing series of electronic suites, while ken=en dances between the bombs and war veteran and volunteer Ptastvo offers The Grit, an intense, industrial strength work. For far more music and in-depth coverage, we encourage you to follow our monthly installments of Ukrainian Field Notes.
a closer listen 