"Before, After" is an EP by Endless Melancholy. Originally finished in July of 2012 it was released by Twice Removed as a limited edition CDr on November 1st, 2012.
Reviews:
Sometimes you are sent music that is simply beautiful. This is a recent example in the form of Ukrainian pianist Endless Melancholy. A self-taught musician, this work completely addresses what I was talking about in my recent interview with Fluid Radio. This is an artist who has been brave enough to understand that sometimes the most wonderful and beautiful moments are the simplest things to create. This record is so enriching. Essentially made up of 2 long tracks interspersed with minutes of calm ‘You are the Moonlight’ is one of the most gorgeous piano pieces I have heard in quite some time. If it were my record, I would probably not have added the strings to the music. The piano is so strong and enduring that the strings don’t really feel like a necessity. It pushes the music too close to the world of Olafur Arnalds – no bad thing – and doesn’t shout this is Endless Melancholy. But, that small quibble a side, this is a very beautiful piece of music that suggests that Endless Melancholy, or Oleksii Sakevych, could be somebody to watch very closely in the future. Minimalist piano at its finest. Reminiscent of Nils Frahm’s ‘Screws’ this is definitely one for the piano lover and I imagine late night wine drinking.
(c) Euan McMeeken, musician (glacis, The Kays Lavelle) and label owner (mini50 records)
thesteinbergprinciple.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/endless-melancholy-before-after/
Oleksii Sakevych of Ukraine, recording under the apt name Endless Melancholy, unfurls a succinct missive that seems to hold Erik Satie, Max Richter, and every artist in between who crafted slow, contemplative piano music in high regard. However, there is a deliberate and welcomed lack of formalism on "Before, After," as if Sakevych is more interested in exploring ambient modes rather than classical. More to the point, he frequently weaves together various sonic material that augments and underscores the piano, particularly leaning on wisps of field recordings and languid strokes of a cello to provide the necessary counterpoints. The tempo and approach remains the same throughout "Before, After," which makes the length of this EP – about 15 minutes – perfect for the material it holds.
(c) Ryan Potts, Experimedia
www.experimedia.net/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&cPath=1&products_id=7000
released July 3, 2012