Short Reviews [IWKC - 2016 - "Cargo Cult"]

Following on from their third album, 2015’s ‘Evil Bear Boris’, IWKC again took a melodic shift with the 2016 4-track EP ‘Cargo Cult’. By now the core band had dropped to a quartet of Nikita Samarin (drums), Nick Samarin (guitars, keyboards), Andrew Silin (keyboards) with Artem Litvakoskiy now adding bass to his cello duties. However, the additional instrumentation and high use of strings they had utilised previously had now fallen away and the only additional guests this time were singer Roman Karandaev (on one song) and Ramil Mulikov (trumpet, trombone). The band has moved away from their post rock and orchestral styles into something where 80’s-style keyboards have a far more prominent role. The bass is often the most important aspect, as we move into more experimental areas which also brings in elements of pop, and the result is something which does not have the gravitas or solemnity of their earlier releases. It feels way more lighthearted, almost as if it should not be taken seriously, and it is only closing tracks “Keine Angst” which shows some of the passion of what went before. Interesting, but certainly not at the same level as their earlier albums.