SVITLANA NIANIO Vinilo y CD

Review: Svitlana Nianio is a Ukrainian artist, musician, and singer known for her standing in the nation's avant-garde circuit. Cutting her teeth as a member of the experimental group Cukor Bila Smert (Sugar White Death), her work has over the years blossomed into an ever-keen exploration of voice and composition. After a spate of relative non-success, she "disappeared from the public eye" until a resurgence in popular interest came in the mid 2010s. However, we cast our minds back: the newly reissued Transilvania Smile is an early work, containing the original soundtrack for a dance theatre performance of the same name, which Nianio composed and performed in 1994 in collaboration with the choreography group Pentamonia, based in Cologne. A delicate balance of Nianio's vocals, backed by piano and harmonium, create a haunting and atmospheric sound blending folk, classical, and ambient elements.