Conor Fynes
'Merytneith' - Senmuth (3/10)
Here is a brief EP that compiles some apocrypha of Senmuth's music together; different versions of previously unreleased tracks, remixes, and edits to be precise. Overall, this does tend to point to 'Merytneith' being a release that only a devout Senmuth fan will truly appreciate. Unfortunately, beyond one or two listens, the music here doesn't warrant much of an in-depth exploration.
Here, the only somewhat memorable track is the final song 'Akhu Shemsu Hor', a remix of a piece of music originally on the album 'YanTra Light'. A minimalistic hymn, it is dark and almost gothic in nature, but really nothing new, as the remix offers a negligible change to the original composition. Here, the evidence of 'edited' tracks also points to a general throwaway, although the music itself for 'Меритнэйт' is not too bad, featuring the pleasant operatic vocals of a female singer listed as Annie Red Hat. The only two tracks here worth mentioning are the first and third; new versions of previously penned compositions. Due to the vast catalogue of Senmuth songs (and few having an individual identity to them), neither of these songs will be recognizable, instead proving to be your typical ethnic ambient Senmuth ordeal.
'Merytneith' could have been quite a bit better, had the concept of new song versions and remixes been executed properly. Unfortunately, this EP is quite forgettable, and anyone wanting to look into the music of this Russian experimental artist would do better to look into one of the legitimate full-length efforts instead.