Grab a dozen gold threads and weave them together to create an obsessive record. It’s Vselubov by ETOLUBOV. Review.
VSELUBOV – ETOLUBOV
Like the embroidery on the veil she wears on the cover, Liubov Fomenko made this opus a precise and seizing artwork. It’s impossible to turn away from it all. ETOLUBOV, it’s Liubov Fomenko’s project. The Ukrainian artist has been based in Paris for the past decade. Her new album Vselubov means ‘all is love’. It’s the main idea she wants to breathe into her sounds, of diverse inspirations. And it works.
Traces of pop are getting into the polished electro sonorities that put a soft veil on the whole record. It is with riffs often associated with Asia that Thisislove opens Vselubov. From India to the Middle East, the different traditional music they created are a lot of the threads making up the final embroidery. Singing in Ukrainian and English, ETOLUBOV is charming in all languages with her whispered vocals.
Mango and Attraction are my favourites here. Between the guilty sweetness and the necessary tenderness, they’re easy obsessions. As charming, there’s also Ідеаліті (Ideals) and Таю (Melting), progressively darkening the atmosphere. Later, Темные ночи (Dark Nights), Божеволію (I’m losing my mind), and Куба (Cuba) confirm this obscurity, but do add some notes of hope. Lastly, Flowering close it all with some kind and sober callbacks of previous tracks.
These calm, whispered, and delicate vocals, close to the ear, really give me goosebumps. The overall arrangements are subtle, pure, and bright. Silence is an instrument like any other, getting each breath, each long bass line, each turn inspired by traditional music to become hypnotic and powerful. If there’s something so sombre on it all, it’s to prove that, once again, light can’t be without shadows. With Vselubov, ETOLUBOV shines bright with love.
