TRACK LIST:

1.  I’m Sitting in Front of a Full Cup Not Drinking 4:34
2.  Absorbed in My Thoughts 7:21
3.  Sitting Carefree in the Shadow of the Pavilion 7:37
4.  At the Window 4:32
5.  There Came an Unexpected Guest 10:24
6.  Wanderer 13:07
7.  Do You Remember How We Said Goodbye 4:02

LINEUP:

Gennady Ilyin - keyboards; vocals
Oleg Babynin - bass; vocals
Alexander Malakhovsky - guitar
Yury Skripkin - drums
Aleksey Bildin - saxophone

Analysis. Little Tragedies describe itself as a band influenced by ELP, without trying to copy or replicate that specific sound. Although the musical output at times has sounded a bit too like their main influence, according to the band’s homepage this seems to very much have become history only by the time they recorded "Chinese Songs Part 1". Influences from classical symphonic music and Russian folk music are now elements in the compositions, and probably due to the thematic lyrical side of this album, Russian translations of ancient Chinese poetry; some touches from what sounds like Chinese music add some spice to these tunes in places. In addition, influences from new age composers like Vangelis and Gandalf or others making similar music are important elements on this album. I’m Sitting in Front of a Full Cup Not Drinking opens in a lush and mellow manner, a dreamy tune with dark and ominous sounding undertones given release in a hard rocking 30-second-long symphonic prog segment towards the end, and then returning to the new age inspired style for the last 15 seconds. Absorbed in My Thoughts continues in a more dramatic manner, an energetic and pace-filled composition with hard and heavy guitars, massive layers of synths and keyboards and lots of soloing. Some mellow moments are inserted, in particular for the parts containing vocals, but hard symphonic prog dominates the piece. Sitting Carefree in the Shadow of the Pavilion is the second composition exploring a lush, mellow and ambient soundscape. This time around, more distinct influences from classical symphonic music are noticeable, and a dominating feature of the song are what appear to be influences from Asian and Chinese music. The skilled use of percussion as well as wind and sea sounds is added to the mix also, creating a highly compelling and hypnotic atmosphere. At the Window continues on a different note entirely, a playful tune with influences from folk music and groovy sax playing as dominant features starting and finishing the track. Creating variation and verve is a segment in the middle of the song, with a dark sounding guitar sound underscored by orchestrated licks and a synth solo. There Came an Unexpected Guest clocks in at a bit over 10 minutes, the first of two epic compositions on this album. This is another intense tune in a more purified symphonic progressive style, starting out as a carefully crafted mellow theme evolving into a hard and dramatic sounding song with emphasis on building up dramatic climaxes in the first half, and then a slow build up to a sort of jubilation climax in the second half of the song, which then ends as it started, in a calm, melodic manner. Lasting for a bit over 13 minutes, Wanderer is the second epic on this CD, and yet again lush and mellow is the name of the game, albeit with a different take on this style of music. Never hard or aggressive, the composition is still dominated by dark sounds in many segments, an ominous presence creating tension whenever it appears. Lush but dramatic sounding layers of melodic synthesizers also make a multitude of appearances in this tune, and mixed with a well crafted soundscape that builds up a big and epic mood on several occasions as well as adding some Asian tinges from time to time, and you end up with a song that is highly fascinating despite being mellow and almost ambient in style most of the time. Musical references for this particular song may be artists like Gandalf or Vangelis; touches of both their styles are heard in this tune. Do You Remember How We Said Goodbye ends this album in a manner very similar to how it started: a mellow, melodic start and finish, but this time with a hard symphonic rock segment placed in the middle of the piece and not at the end. This is a very strong album overall, as long as the listener is comfortable with music going back and forth between heavy symphonic prog and dreamy, ambient compositions. Sitting Carefree in the Shadow of the Pavilion and Wanderer are brilliant songs, and the other tracks are all clearly above average in my personal opinion.

"Chinese Songs Part 2"