Album review: MARIANA SEMKINA – Sleepwalking

Kscope [Release date: 14.02.20]

Mariana Semkina is one half of exceptional Russian “chamber prog” duo Iamthemorning whose delicate, fragile and occasionally disturbing songs have breathed new life into the quieter side of progressive music.

Her long term partner in IATM, piano virtuoso Gleb Kolyadin, plays no part in this project which, according to Mariana, is an opportunity to express herself and delve into her own life experiences.

And it’s quite a trip into many aspects of the human psyche and, maybe, an opportunity to slay a few of her own demons along the way.

It is testament to Iamthemorning’s meteoric rise that Semkina is able to call upon talents from the world of prog such as Craig Blundell (Pendragon, Steve Hackett, Lonely Robot, Frost*), Nick Beggs (Steven Wilson, Lifesigns, The Mute Gods) and Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) on a few tracks, and the amazing talents of an ensemble from the Saint Petersburg Orchestra.

Semkina’s voice is a precious and delicate thing, often drawing comparisons to Kate Bush and you can hear that – but for me, the gentle timbre of Tori Amos – in her quieter moments – is the closest reference point.

There is much to admire on ‘Sleepwalking’ – the complementary acoustic guitar work of Vlad Avy sets the tone for many of the album’s best moments – the intro of opening track ‘Dark Matter’, the lovely ‘Ars Longa Vita Brevis’ and the desolate ‘How To Be Alone’ are all highlights.

There’s beautiful cello too on ‘Ars Longa Vita Brevis’ and also on album standout ‘Mermaid Song’ but rising above all of this loveliness is Semkina’s voice – always expressive, always captivating and, essentially, always sympathetic to the subject matter.

Mariana Semkina has written an album of songs that thrill, soothe and surprise in equal measure – who could not be moved by tracks like ‘How To Be Alone’, ‘Am I Sleeping Or Am I Dead’ and ‘Lost At Sea’? – but more than that, she has established herself as one of the finest singers in contemporary progressive music.

An intense listen – but rewarding beyond measure. ****

Review by Alan Jones

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

Next session: Sunday 19 January

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)