This is a collection of songs from 2003 to 2007, and available free from the url provided, so I’d advise you check these Russian Goth/Industrial/Whatever merchants out because they have more than a fair few ravishing moments.

‘Intangible’ is a bewitching intro with mysterious but crisply inviting words over chiming, shimmering synth, then some guitar intercedes in the pleasantries to keep ’Daydream Diary’ rotating with linear energy, requiring tougher vocals from our chanteuse who narrows her eyes, and there’s a rich commercial attraction here as well with a brightly inquisitive chorus.

‘More Than…’ is just as moody but inventive in its simplicity where they allow such an empty sense of everything, with poetic streams of words and a sense of ease, but this is truncated sharply. ‘…All Pain And Laughter’ cascades over tumbling percussive spirals and a tugging swoosh of sound but again this stops short. ‘Guardian Angel’ is soft gothy pop spread out and full of thorns.

‘Aeons’ heats up with plinky percussion and a dour synth wash as a backdrop, like a saucy ambient take on Mission Impossible. ‘Eyes Of Grief’ is subdued but warm and lush, and beautifully interesting but again we have a switch to the starker, stiffer ‘Embrace Me’, skilfully edgy atmospheric music with more deviously delightful singing. ‘Fool’s Paradise Revisited’ has a maudlin traditional air but they quickly introduce the modern pain and confusion. ‘My Spirit’s Flight’ is gothic rock with icicles, and develops naturally as a melancholic attack. Musing fragrantly, ‘Vortex Interlude’ is quite wonderful transporting until some hideous guitar desecrates it, ‘Salvation’ does the doe-eyed Gawf Rock thing, and ‘Shattered 21’ gets to build in a deceptively echoey fashion, the synth a light snow storm, the sounds seeping away from you as you try to make sense of it all, but it’s like someone has whispered you a secret as you’re slowly waking and it will remain forever lost.

Haunting stuff, this.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/31430

Taken from http://mickmercer.livejournal.com/925902.html 

“It is 624 pages long, containing individual entries on 3,581 different bands, from 70 countries, with 183 photos. It covers bands from the beginning of these scenes to the present day and wherever possible contains full line-up details and discographies as well as unusual facts revealed by many of the bands. This is the biggest guide ever printed about the underground scenes in which Goth, Post-Punk and all things noir co-exist with equal splendour.”

Spinefish is obviously in it.

Myspace page
Purchase the book

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Download United Gothic Underground

Visit the release page
Download Valentine’s Heart

And as the press-release says: “In the sweetest day of the year, this time you’ll have something… different!”