In January 2019, the Lunar Cape band released the full version of “Lunar Folk Tales” (ArtBeat Music label). The edition includes 3CDs (English-language, Russian-language, instrumental version) and an illustrated booklet with fairy tale texts.

The album is based on original instrumental music with a flute solo and fairy tale texts that are read along.

A good example that helps define the format is the symphonic tale “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergey Prokofiev or, even closer, “The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles” by Jethro Tull. A fairy tale, instrumental music and a little bit of surrealism. The contents of the “Tales” are based on Russian and British folklore narrated in a “lunar” manner.

A total of 20 people from 4 countries (Russia, Pakistan, Ukraine, USA), including TREY GUNN (ex-King Crimson) took part in the “Lunar Folk Tales” project.

Press-release

In January 2019, the Lunar Cape band released the full version of “Lunar Folk Tales” (ArtBeat Music label). The edition includes 3CDs (English-language, Russian-language, instrumental version) and illustrated booklet with fairy tale texts.

The “Lunar Folk Tales” album continues the concept of illustrative music, which we declared in the debut album “Just Lunatics” – music that's based on the emotional landscape, or imagery.  We don’t associate our music with any style or subculture and identify ourselves as “popular instrumental music”. And while the word  ”popularity” has nothing to do with us, the “multi-genre” and “understandable” attributes are entirely relevant. 

In this album, the idea of illustrativeness was developed beyond the framework of music only - we illustrated the music with fairy tales. In this precise order - first came the music, and the tales were born out of the music. A good example that helps define the format is the symphonic tale “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergey Prokofiev or, even closer, “The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles” by Jethro Tull. A fairy tale, instrumental music and a little bit of surrealism.

The contents of the “Tales” are based on the earthly fairy tales that we know, mostly Russian and British. After getting to the Moon inhabitants, folklore stories acquired rather unexpected details and plot twists. Do you know why there are no more square eggs in the world? So find out. Our tales are intended for both adults and children. Perhaps, adults would like them a little more.

We read some of the tales out loud ourselves, and invited friendly musicians to read others. We did not engage professional narrators on purpose, since we attribute utmost importance to the perception of music and emotional proximity. We were greatly helped by Nastya Postnikova ("Iva Nova"), Maxim Kucherenko (Underwood), Trey Gunn (Ex-King Crimson), Ozma Nagatovna (“Absent Sunday”).

It is very difficult to describe this work without mentioning the visual part. The album is designed by the Russian artist Arseny Lapin and the designer Alexander Medvedev. The edition accompanies the booklet - actually, a 16-page book with color illustrations and fairy tales texts in Russian and English.

The musical album is accompanied by the animated films "Nymph Syrinx amidst the stars" https://youtu.be/WMwKIjZy5_c  and "What the peacock is silent about?" (in work) https://youtu.be/NrPhPkp8Rdw .   

A total of 20 people from 4 countries (Russia, Pakistan, Ukraine, the USA) took part in the “Lunar Folk Tales” project. 

Official release date - January 1, 2019.

“Lunar Folk Tales” (2019) earned high praise from music media, including PROG MAGAZINE.

Credits

• Olga Scotland  – flute, recorders, tin whistle, mandolin, spring drum, sound effects, VSTi
• Andrey Shashkov – bass guitar, basso recorder, vocals
• Roman Smirnov – guitars, washboard old school, vocals

Guest musicians:

Paul Bulak – keyboards (3)  
Grigory Shelehov – drums (3, 7) 
Alexander Koval  – drums (4, 8) 
Shahid Rashid – vocals (8) 
Arranged by Lunar Cape. Tracks  1, 4, 7, 8 based on the idea of A. Shashkov; track 2 – A. Shashkov, R. Smirnov; track 3, 6 – R. Smirnov, O. Scotland, A. Shashkov; track 4 – with participation of P. Bulak and N. Petrovsky; track 5 – english folk song. 

Fairy tales were composed by Andrey Shashkov, Olga Scotland, Roman Smirnov 
Storytellers (Eng): Ozma Nagatovna, Trey Gunn (8)

Guest storytellers (Rus): Nastya Postnikova (2), Maxim Kucherenko (3)

Other: Shahid Rashid (urdu, 8) and Andrey Babayev as a weeping wood goblin (4).

Translated by Shahid Rashid and Olga Scotland 
Еditor: Yana Solominskaya 

Recorded and mixed by Olga Scotland 
Mastered by Spartak Bourangoulov, SiriuSShamanSStudio

Аrts: Arseny Lapin 
Photographer: Andrey Sbitnev 
Designer: Alexander Medvedev 
Executive producer: Nikolay “Bignick” Bogaychuk 
Publisher: ArtBeatMusic