Ummagma 3-month post album release recap

Hey - If you are here reading this, thank you :) It's been a very busy and event-filled three months since Ummagma simultaneously released our two debut albums on Bandcamp and we're thrilled that they have been getting such good reception, getting airplay and very welcoming music reviews in about 20 different countries :)

Our journey has not only taken us outside of the box, as they say, but beyond borders. We've enjoyed being in New York Indie Darkroom's Chart from August through October (with "Rotation" and "Upsurd" ranking #2 and "BFD" finally jumping to #1) and in the Scottish New Music Chart (with "Risky" at #38 for August-September and "Lama" at #6 for September-October).

On the turn of a new month, Ummagma will be featured in the November issue of Rolling Stone Russia.

Things are looking up and we are hopeful that our music will also help you head in that direction - upwards and outwards, up and beyond... Welcome to your flight!!

Warm regards, Shauna and Alexx (=Ummagma)

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Musica Media Focus on Ummagma

Ummagma was the headline story for a new international music blog established by the founder of another popular South American music blog: Latino America Shoegaze. Thanks to Jairo for his review of Ummagma.

Ummagma- Their Two debut albums by Musica Media (July 30, 2012) http://ourmusicmedia.blogspot.com/2012/07/ummagma-their-two-debut-albums.html

Ummagma is an indie duo that includes Alexx (Sasha) Kretov and Shauna McLarnon, who first met in Moscow back in 2003, where they began to make music together. They are now based in Ukraine and, after eight years together (as musicians and as a couple), they have finally released two debut albums at the same time – a non-standard approach, albeit an interesting one. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Given the fact that Alexx is Ukrainian and that Shauna is Canadian, the two evidently have different origins and histories, not to mention divergent music influences. These are perhaps some of the factors that have ultimately made Ummagma such a potent musical cocktail. Not only do they represent a delightful and broad mish-mash of genres – dream pop, ethereal, post-rock, post-punk, progressive rock, shoegaze and ambient – but they can sometimes even mix different genres right within a song. The effect is impressive – this duo has effectively generated what can be considered a unique dreamy dynamic and eclectic sound. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ummagma seems to represent a balance between Alexx’s and Shauna’s personalities and their music guides us through the group’s development – the self-titled album “Ummagma” gives us some insight into their earlier years together in Moscow and Kiev, while “Antigravity” reflects a mix of melancholy and extreme joy of migration, the arrival of a child, and their different life experiences in Canada and Ukraine. The listener can get aurally lost in these journeys – with Alexx’s dreamy voice and impressive instrumental skill, and with Shauna’s intoxicating vocals, together they create diverse rich atmospheres set against luscious dream pop soundscapes and textures. Together, their twin debut albums include 24 songs that are so good that they really should be heard together.

Spanish version: Ummagma es un dúo indie compuesto por Alexx (Sasha) Kretov y Shauna McLarnon, que se conocieron en Moscú en el año 2003, donde comenzaron a hacer música. Ahora ubicados en Ucrania y después de 8 años juntos (como músicos y como pareja) acabaron de lanzar dos álbums como debut- algo poco común y arriesgado.

Tomando en cuenta que Alexx es Ucraniano y Shauna Canadiense, ambos evidentemente tienen diferentes orígenes e historias, e influencias musicales, haciendo de Ummagma un poderoso coctel musical. Su música no solo es una encantadora mezcla de géneros-– dream pop, ethereal, post-rock, post-punk, progressive rock, shoegaze and ambient – sino también una mezcla de estos géneros dentro de la misma canción. El efecto resultante es impresionante- el sonido de este dúo puede ser catalogado como único, dinámico y ecléctico.

Ummagma es en si una balance entre las personalidades de sus dos integrantes y su música nos lleva a través de su historia,- su álbum “Ummagma” nos lleva a sus primeros años juntos en Moscu y Kiev, mientras que “Antigravity” es una mezcla entre la melancolía y la alegría, de sucesos como su migración, la llegada de su primer hijo, y sus diferentes experiencias en Canada y Ucrania. Es facil perderse en sus pasajes- la voz ensoñadora de Alexx y su gran habilidad como instrumentista. La encantadora voz de Shauna crean juntas diferentes atmosferas ambientadas a través de pasajes y texturas Dream-pop. Juntos sus dos álbums debut suman 24 canciones que vale la pena escuchar.

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Cassette Blog Reviews Ummagma

New review of Ummagma in Cassette blog

We are thankful for this review of Ummagma by the Cassette Blog, the original of which can be found at http://www.cassetteblog.com/2012/08/batallon-indie-vol-21/

Batallón Indie Vol 21

English version: We received some music from the project Ummagma to write a review. There are two albums, the first of which is self-titled and the latter of which is called “Antigravity”; they were both published in July 2012.

Ummagma is a group comprised of Alexx Kretov, who is Ukrainian, and Shauna McLarnon, who is Canadian. Together they have managed to create music that covers the current indie spectrum from its various tangents: folk, post-rock, dream pop and still others, offering listeners an elusive ambient aspect, which is subtle and light, while drumming up imagery of dreamy places graced with highly cinematic touches.

Spanish version: El proyecto Ummagma nos ha enviado su música para que los conozcamos. Se trata de sus dos álbums, el primero titulado igual que el grupo y el último, editado en julio del 2012, llamado “Antigravity”.

Ummagma es un grupo formado por el ucraniano Alexx Kretov y la canadiense Shauna McLarnon. Juntos hacen una música que aborda el indie actual desde sus distintas tangentes: folk, post rock, dream pop y más, entre ambientes impalpables, ligeros, e imágenes de lugares de ensueño, con algunos toques altamente cinematográficos.

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Ummagma on "Amazing Beats"

Thanks to Mark Ryan for playing Ummagma's "Talk to Her" on his Amazing Beats show on Amazing Radio (UK). http://amazingradio.co.uk/shows/amazingbeats

CURRENT PLAYLIST

Bondax - Just Us

Pictures Music - 4D

Greco-Roman - Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Critisize

rocketpr - Karin Park - Thousand Loaded Guns (Southern Cross Remix)

Bondax - Baby I Got That

Outpost Music PR - The Apples - Thang

UMT Academy - LADIDA - Jenny Jones +Smoove

Bosqiuat Sant Laurent - Numbers On Wall Street

Dynasty (Tha Alias) - Stand for Something

RTKAL - Sleng Teng

Ink Project - Rapture

Pictures Music - ShadowBox - C O

Theo PR - Youan - That Feel

Plugged In PR - Man Like Me - London Town VIP (Large Joints Remix)

Echo Empire - Dub Pistols - Mucky Weekend (Sunday Best Recordings)

Ben Hoo - Duplex

Erdal Kemahli - wasting my time

TRIPTIK - RASKL (So Called Scumbags Remix)

Echo Empire - Kevin McPhee - Outs

Theo PR - Youan - Know Your Name

xxyyxx - Faces

Sublow-Beater - Sublow Beater - Red Dred Rasta

TRIPTIK - Howlin' Wolf (Joonipah Remix)

Moshi Moshi - Beat Connection - The Palace Garden 4am

Popfiction PR - Patten - A Peachy Swan (The Slow Revolt Remix)

CPR Agency - D/R/U/G/S - Mila

Authority Communications - Kris Menace - Trusting Me

Deccies - Deccies - Only You

Blondes - Gold

Echo Empire - Dead Fader - Fishsh feat Sensational (Robot Elephant Records)

Pictures Music - Ikopol

Old Smile - Silhouettes

Outpost Music PR - The Apples - Looking For Trouble

Plugged In PR - Lianne La Havas - "Lost & Found" Maya Janes Coles Remix

Lucky Number - Friends - I'm His Girl (Arthur Baker Mix)

rocketpr - Karin Park - Thousand Loaded Guns Nocturnal Sunshine (Maya Jane Coles) Remix

stumbleine - Stumbleine Mix - Feburary 2012

Piff Gang - Million Dollar Dream

L4 - L4 - Stop runnin

Adrian Recordings - Medication

Blynk - In The City (Out Now!)

Echo Empire - Rumah & Progression - Chance Meeting (Nineteen89)

Daddy Tank Records - Suck Susan - Fantastic Damage

Olugbenga - Olugbenga - Hexagons IV

Ummagma - Talk to Her

Olugbenga - Olugbenga - Mistakes Mk 3

Echo Empire - Dub Pistols - Mucky Weekend (Sunday Best Recordings)

EML Recordings - Distant (Camden Amen) (Sub Generation Records)

Electromagnetic Impulses - Circles - Electromagnetic Impulses + M.z.K

DJ Tremor - DJ Tremor - Optiplex

Viaduct Promotions - SebastiAn 'Love In Motion' (Rustie Remix)

TRIPTIK - RASKL (Francophilippe Remix)

Channel Swimmer - Kardomah

DAN PRICE - Dan Price - Perpetua (Original Mix) : Kushtee Records OUT NOW

M A U S I - sol. (Channel Swimmer remix)

Outpost Music PR - Pablo Nouvelle - You Do Me Wrong

julian schoen - theclosing - schnatterlied

Shabash - To The Night

RJ - 2012

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Forkster Reviews Ummagma

On July 27, Tim Forker reviewed Ummagma on Forkster "Rocks It out" - Check him out at http://www.facebook.com/FORKSTER --- Here is the review:

~Ummagma~ Genre: Progressive, electronica, ethereal, alternative rock, post-punk, new wave, indie rock, dream pop From: Whitehorse, Canada | Kremenets, Ukraine

Members: Shauna McLarnon - Vocals, composition, lyrics Alexx Kretov - Composition, instruments, arrangement, recording, vocals

FORKSTER SAYS: Ummagma is an extremely captivating band filled with brilliant music paths of emotions. I particularly love the positive energies it jam-packed my music core with.

They remind me of the brilliant early ambient music years of 4AD Records artists and it’s a real joy having a band like this exist brightly in these daily music times of today!

I see a tremendous drive and vision in Ummagma and basically on that note, I can’t see anything, but superb music roads ahead by this brilliant duo.

FORKSTER was very impressed and will keep close tabs on the future music journies ahead for Ummagma!

For more information on “Ummagma” go to: www.facebook.com/ummagma http://ummagma.bandcamp.com/ http://ummagma.amazingtunes.com/ https://twitter.com/ummagma

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UMMAGMA RELEASES 2 ALBUMS

We released our two debut albums "Ummagma" and "Antigravity" in mid-July. They are available digitally and can be purchased or streamed for free via two sites: http://ummagma.bandcamp.com/ and http://ummagma.amazingtunes.com/

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Ummagma's first press coverage - leading Moscow magazine F5 (in English)

Earlier this week, the Russian version of this press coverage of Ummagma was issued - first in paper format and then the online version, complete with video insert - by one of Moscow's leading entertainment and lifestyle magazines F5. The review was written by one of the country's best known music critics, Artem Lipatov (writing under the name Starik Kozlodoev) Below is the English translation of that press review...

On paper pages: Alexei Aigi, Paul Buchanan, Ummagma

Ummagma

Amazing things happen not only in fantasy novels and tales by the Brothers Grimm, but also in the reality in which we live. Shauna McLarnon, a Canadian from the Yukon, has been living in the CIS for 12 years already, starting from Yakutia and finding her way through life in Moscow and Kiev to eventually live in the western Ukrainian town of Kremenets. How did this happen? It's rather simple: six years ago in Moscow, while at a concert by virtuoso guitarist Ivan Smirnov, she met Alexx [Sasha] Kretov, a native of western Ukraine. Soon they came to be not only a family, but also became the very productive musical project Ummagma. Today they are living in Sasha's homeland in Kremenets, raising their daughter Nika, and are continuing to develop their music.

Shauna writes songs (both the music and lyrics) and sings, while Alexx co-authors those songs and handles the arrangement, plays all instruments, and even records the music that turns out rather well. The end product is, at the same time, both energetic and meditative music, characterized by strong ethnic influences and shaped by the experience of northern European music from the past thirty years, from Peter Gabriel to Sigur Ros. But here we are talking about actual experience, not about copy-catting or borrowing of any kind. In the near future, this group plans on releasing two albums; watch out for them, as this couple should definitely surprise us!

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С бумажных страниц: А. Айги, П. Бьюкенен, Ummagma

С бумажных страниц: Алексей Айги, Пол Бьюкенен, Ummagma - Старик_Козлодоев/ F5

Каюсь: понедельник давно позади, а аудиовизуальная версия колонки моей в газете F5 все еще не выложена. Что же, это прокол — но не сильный; better late than never. Tak что у нас там на повестке дня — ах да, негромкий шотландец под рояль, заводной московский скрипач-минималист и канадско-украинская пара, ставшая рок-группой. Tакой вот у нас сегодня ассортимент

Алексей Айги и ансамбль 4'33”

Кумир просвещенных московских барышень, сын большого поэта, успешный кинокомпозитор, соратник электронщика Дитмара Боннена и единственный в Москве неакадемический скрипач — лидер группы, Алексей Айги наконец выпустил первый за девять лет альбом с некинематографической музыкой под названием Hard Disc. Когда-то критик Дмитрий Ухов окрестил состав названием знаменитой пьесой композитора Кейджа: в течение означенного времени музыканты должны были, выйдя на сцену, не совершать никаких действий. "Мы не оправдали надежд, наверное — не ушли в чистый авангард", — смеется Айги сегодня.

Да, они играют странную, но невероятно притягательную смесь прогрессив-рока и минимализма в составе, где из электрических инструментов — лишь бас-гитара, и тем не менее популярны. Значит, на рынке есть шанс даже у инструментальной музыки с лидирующей скрипкой и длинными композициями, и все тезисы наших поп-маркетологов о том, что нужно и что не нужно публике, не стоят и выеденного яйца.

Пол Бьюкенен

Новый сольный альбом экс-вокалиста легендарных шотландцев Blue Nile — очередной экскурс в мир трепетных интонаций, красивых мелодий и полного отсутствия пошлости, как правило, сопутствующих вышеописанному. У Бьюкенена лицо человека, повидавшего многое, многое знающего и в то же время о многом молчащего: "только тот, кому нечего сказать, громче всех кричит" — так, кажется пелось в одной старой песне?

Альбом Mid Air построен по сходному принципу: он спет преимущественно под рояль, лаконичен, персонален, негромок и невероятно убедителен. Вот именно так поют взрослые мужчины, которым уже давно не нужно никому ничего доказывать: для себя и небольшого окружения. А если еще кому-то станет интересно — пусть подходят поближе. Подходите и вы, вам непременно будет интересно.

Ummagma

Удивительные вещи случаются не только в фэнтези-романах и сказках братьев Гримм, но и в реальности, в которой мы с вами живем. Канадка с Юкона Шона МакЛарнон живет в СНГ вот уже 12 лет: начав с Якутии, она через Москву и Киев оказалась в западноукраинском Кременце. Как? Да очень просто: шесть лет назад в Москве на концерте виртуозного гитариста Ивана Смирнова она познакомилась с Алексом Кретовым, уроженцем Западной Украины. Вскорости они стали не только семьей, но и весьма продуктивным музыкальным проектом Ummagma. Сегодня они живут на Сашиной родине, в Кременце, воспитывают дочь Нику и продолжают заниматься музыкой.

Шона пишет песни (и музыку, и тексты) и поет; Саша соавторствует, аранжирует, играет и записывает то, что у них получается. А получается энергичная и медитативная одновременно музыка, в которой сильны этнические влияния и опыт североевропейской музыки последних тридцати лет от Питера Гэбриэла до Sigur Ros – но речь идет именно об опыте, а некопировании или даже заимствовании. В ближайшее время у группы выходят два альбома; следите за ними, эта парочка должна нас удивить!

Original article: http://f5.ru/starikkozlodoev/post/405247

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Cyrille Clément  (almost 12 years ago)

Good start for your first "campaign of communication". The fairy tale takes form.

First Ummagma blog entry - WE ARE HERE

It's been about a month since Ummagma decided to establish an internet presence. While we were on Soundcloud earlier on (and still are) and went through a 'public reaction testing' phase there, we have since decided that expanding our internet resources would be a good thing to do. So we've gotten onto YouTube, Facebook and ReverbNation since then and we are still trying to figure out all the features and options available for even these pages, let alone launching new pages on other sites - we aim to open a page on Twitter, LastFM and BandCamp, among others.

So this is a start - and this is how we have begun to connect with like-minded people all over the planet within the past month. It has been a gratifying experience. Hello to all our new friends and fans - in North America, in Europe, in Asia and in Africa. We are only missing South America and Australia at the moment, but I think that will change within the next month, as things are happening quickly for us :)

What can you do to help? Share the music with your own friends, family and colleagues, just as we are doing within our own capacity…. Share the music, share the love. We are also open to any feedback or suggestions that you want to send our way (you can write us directly and don't be shy to use the a comments section on our ReverbNation page).

In appreciation of your attention, Shauna McLarnon and Alexx (Sasha) Kretov (the two souls forming Ummagma)

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