Groves in mist是俄罗斯新晋的一个新民谣团，实际就是灵魂Lefthander一个人的团。吉他、钢琴、合成器及人声都由其一手包办。整体比较阴暗压抑，溶合了不少Dark Ambient的元素，近同于Of The Wand And The Moon、Tenhi、Ion等的风格。这张是发行于2006年的专辑，也许是他个人的处女专辑。如同名字一样这是一个厌世人的“心情日志”，诉说着自己的孤独和迷惘。而第二首Fall through the window的灵感则是来自一份真实的自杀者的遗书，伴着冰凉的吉他和萧瑟的钢琴，Lefthander轻声低语着遗书，别有一番滋味重上心头……“Groves in Mist” is one of the numerous bands a musician from Russia called Lefthander took part in. He participated in such projects as part Ethnico, Raxa, Sea of Desperation and some others, and this project became one of the pieces where his human emotions and musical ideas found expression. “Mood Diary” by Groves in Mist is the third album issued on Haarbn records, a russian label, specialising in ambient and metal music.I think I haven’t heard something more not just melancholic, but hopeless and sad since a long time ago, mainly based on piano, guitar and strings usage. I always thought that human insanity was a good and versatile topic to find reflection in music. One of the artists who perfectly did that was Sopor Aeternus. Here we have another musician, who lifted the veil and exposed the matter but from another point of view. If Sopor Aeternus tried to show it from inside, sometimes turning everything into evil, devilish circus, comedy, Lefthander rather shows things from the outside, from the point of the person who just witnesses everything that happens around, maybe the person who realises the problem. It is melancholy without mocking oneself, without making “evil fun” of the matter. It all came to the thing that even farewell suicide letter was used in one of the tracks called Falling Through the Window.As for the music itself, the sound, it reminded me Penitent on “Beauty of Pain” album and sometimes aforementioned Sopor Aeternus of middle-end of 90s period – sometimes it is able to draw a parallel with “May I kiss your wounds”. And atmosphere on some tracks made me think to Les Joyaux de la Princess atmospheres, especially “Fall Through The Window” track. It is the background and much reverberated piano passages that made me think to that industrial act. And as far as Les Joyaux de la Princess wake in my mind the visions of an old train station somewhen between 1920s and 1930s with a train approaching in the clouds of white steam, the cover reflects this part of the atmosphere really well. On the other hand, it may show many human thoughts united and collected in one image, things that bother a sick human mind. Everything is mixed and presented in gloomy, shadowy colours, the pictures are blurred as in a sick human mind. More than that this kind of package is pleasant to hold in the hands, the perception of the album starts at that entire moment when you feel the smooth texture of the thick paper box.Another pleasant thing – being able to find the lyrics in a thin booklet inside the package. And at the same time it is a bit weird: that’s not common – reading a really existing farewell suicide letter of a person who once was alive and now gone. You read and cannot quite understand what was ment to be said, coz your brain works another way, you perceive things another way and finally you feel a bit guilty and lost being not able to catch it.I have to mark out the first track Intro and track 6 – Luna Comes In Pain for they touched me the most. I really enjoyed track 11 – Providence with Blake for its transparency, some kind of hope, being at the same time melancholic. It is a farewell, the last word in a story, the last sound in a tune, and it has the hope. I also have to mark out tracks 4 and 7 – Murder And Confession and Too Last Elegy, but due to another reason. I realise that Lefthander was trying hard to sing, but slight whisper would sound better and more suitable according to my ears and the “experience” of whispering in some other tracks. It seemed to me that singing ruins the whole atmosphere created before.Generally I dunno which audience it is written for (as far as majority of people can be divided in special groups according to what they listen to), but I hope this album will find its audience and will be understood the right way, because it is not bad at all and certainly has its own idea and mood, which is important.