Known in narrow circles of amateurs of "air" etheral-music the French label Prikosnovenie was always not indifferent to Russian collectives. The first operational experience for the Frenchmen with Russians became with the edition of a disk "Rada and the Blackthorn". There has then come turn "to sign" by results of listening Russian Gothic Compilation talented Moscow collective CAPRICE which two disks are already issued and are successfully sold in Europe. And now new acquisition from territory of former Soviet Union - more recently on the Touch the debut album of talented Odessa collective Fleur which, I don't know, whether on irony of destiny, or specially has left, also named "Touch" (that in the press release have literally translated to English as "soft touch").
The Odessa collective Fleur consisting of six professional musicians, is rather not bad known in the native city and in rather narrow music lover circles of Ukraine due to the concert activity and to a lesser degree to release CD-R "Heart" on which records from several rehearsal and alive performances of collective are submitted. This name should be known to our constant readers too, for we reviewed both CD-R release "Heart", and exclusive demo of three songs " Gold Waters of Ganges ", sent in edition by musicians. Our reaction to these disks was unequivocal - collective extremely talented, with huge potential and foggy future, for it was obvious, that professionally to issue and advance similar music in territory of Russia and the countries CIS there is simply nobody. But as the true talent all the same sooner or later will be noticed and claimed (not without the certain efforts on the part of musicians, certainly), let and not in the fatherland at present we have the first full-format official release of the Ukrainian project which has come to us from France...
The material of an album will consist from already known compositions "lighted" on "Heart" and an exclusive demo, and from new, earlier me of not heard things. From a live-disk "Heart", naturally, in completely rewritten studio variant, on an album songs "The Sad Clown", "All this For you, the Dancing God", "Heart" and especially sad "As All Leaves" (in the English translation - A Sad Clown, Dancing God, The Heart and Fadeaway) which not only was finishing on "Heart", but also stands the last and on this album. From a demo - disk "Gold Waters of Ganges" to this album have come all three compositions, namely "Gold Waters of Ganges", "Injection" è "The Lullaby For the Sun", in the English translation accordingly - Golden Waters Of Gang, Injection and Lullaby For The Sun. Accordingly, the new compositions which haven't been submitted on the previous records and for the first time debuted on album, it turns out five (not considering half a minute Intro) - Blue Shades, On The Dark Side Of The Moon, Roundabout (this composition has been submitted on the firm collection of actors Prikosnovenie "Odyssee", published some months up to the album, and appeared almost the best on all of disk!), By The Soft Paws and February.
The disk is packed by the Touch in digipack and made traditionally out by figures Sabine Adelaide, the regular artist and in combination concubine owner Prikosnovenie Frederic Chaplain:) But not registration and not packing represent real value of this release for the most valuable, that is in this edition, it is music! Thirteen emotional songs for 56 minutes will pull out you from world around and with a head will ship in depths easy melancholy, and light grief. Elena Vojnarovskaya's soft, insinuating voice and (or - the majority of songs are executed by one vocalist, but sometimes they work together) Olga Pulatova's more "vital", beautiful vocal, under slow accompaniment of the piano, gentle roulades of flutes and accurate percussion (and also, places, a violoncello, a bass and a guitar) with the help of extraordinary figurative lyrics (in Russian) will lead you by emotional dreamland and imaginations of two girls in which there is a place to only soft grey paints.. .. Fleur, by and large, the female group (from six participants only two men) and it is very well reflected and is felt in music and texts of collective - all this continuous emotions and if you the emotional and impressionable person some songs Fleur very easily can call in you the true tears on eyes at their listening (for example "Roundabout", "the Lullaby For the Sun" or "Gold Waters of Ganges") - so they are figurative and sad.
It is natural, that from the technical and professional point of view all is executed also at very good level. Nobody puts performing professionalism of musicians under doubt, and the well-handled mastering lead by France has allowed to make a sound of an album if and not ideal rather close to these for in comparison with a demo (I don't speak about concert album - there is nothing to compare) the sound on an album has got impressing cleanliness, a transparency and became really "air".
I can bravely tell, that in catalogue Prikosnovenie this release for certain will occupy one of leading places on quality of a musical material and talent of executors, and I very much would like, that and from the commercial point of view it was for an independent label success. For very much it would be desirable me to see new albums Fleur which in the future for certain will appear if their debut disk will go away in good circulation; and the our problem - to help this:) Therefore everyone, whom really talented and beautiful music is not indifferent, simply have to buy to themselves this disk, thus we'll help not only to collective Fleur, but also the future talents from territories of former Soviet Union, and in fact this good and necessary cause, isn't that so?...

© Sergey Merenkov, translation - Mashenka