Misha Panfilov's 'Where the Birds Fly' Is a Sun-Warmed Masterpiece of Analog Patience
Misha Panfilov’s records usually arrive with his Septet behind him. Where the Birds Fly, out on Funk Night Records, sends the band home. The Estonian composer plays piano, lap steel, harmonium and Mellotron across these six instrumentals, and staffs the gaps with guests rather than a section — Tomo Katsurada of Kikagaku Moyo on guitar, Joe Harvey-Whyte of The Hanging Stars, Volodja Brodsky, and Ilja Gussarov on woodwinds.
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: This is a record built on a low end you feel more than hear — the bass is round, unhurried and mixed at conversation volume, which is precisely why Raven Sings the Blues could write that “it’s easy to become instantly lost inside the grooves of Where the Birds Fly.” Grooves this patient only work if nothing is fighting for the front. The Spatial Dynamics: The Mellotron and harmonium are doing the spatial work, laid in wide and slightly behind the beat so the stereo field reads as air rather than reverb. Katsurada’s guitar and Gussarov’s woodwinds get placed in the near field, close enough to sound like people in a room, which keeps the whole thing from floating off into wallpaper.
Standout Performance
Panfilov himself, as arranger — the discipline to leave four instruments out of a passage is rarer than the ability to play them.
Why It’s Certified
“Full of Life” opens on exactly the mood the title promises; “When I See You (It Feels Wonderful)” is the sweetest thing here; “Guided by the Wind” closes without raising its voice. Raven Sings the Blues heard Panfilov “linking the natural to the cosmic,” with a “verdant lightness” running through it. Six tracks, no filler, no hurry. Certified great.