Rusalnia - Rusalnia [Camera Obscura - 2008]This is a new project from Sharron Kraus who along with Tara Burke (Fursaxa) gave birth to the wonderful dark’n’dense folk charms of Tau Emerald's debut album from a few months back. Here she’s joined by a new female collaborator Gillian Chadwick for a more approachable if still darkly atmospheric and pagan licked collection of folk songs with rock and psychodelic touches. The pair are joined on many of the tracks by Greg Weeks (Espers) who plays Keyboard, bass and acid guitar leads. And Margie Wienk (Fern Knight) playing cello and bass on a few tracks too. But the focus here is mainly on acoustic guitars or stripped down backing and the pairs haunted & beautiful vocals and the hypnotic,atmospheric and tuneful song craft. Particular highlights to my ears would be; shifting sands with it’s simply yet deeply haunting and eerier air built around joint female vocals, rain sticks, gongs and slow rhythmic American Indian drum pace- with some nice sinister ‘n’ noisy violin, percussion and pipe crescendo. Or the bleak and mournful organ pump and acoustic/ electric guitar bob of The ravager. Or the sweet, beautiful Dandelion wine with its intoxicating and wonderful mix flute, cello, acoustic guitar and of course the joint females vocals sounding at their loveliest here. But really all the eight tracks with-in are worthwhile and consistent in there own right. An album of great beauty, atmosphere and tuneful-ness with some creepy & eerier edges. Performed with really passion & authenticity yet having a fresh magical air blowing through it all.    Roger Batty
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