Various Artists Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996
Various Artists' Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996 opens as both a sonic excavation and a curated testament to resilience, earning clear praise from critics for its breadth and archival ambition. Across three professional reviews the compilation gathered an 84.33/100 consensus score, with writers repeatedly flagging tracks such as “Silence”, “Barreras” and “Beatrice” as standout moments that crystallize the collection's purpose.
Reviewers consistently celebrate the compilation's curation and packaging, noting how folk traditions meet avant-garde impulses throughout the set. Critics from PopMatters and Pitchfork emphasize the way minimalism and atmospheric experimentals like “Silence” function as emotional anchors, while The Quietus highlights the defiant persistence in pieces such as “Barreras” and the anthology's genre diversity from jazz-tinged grooves to spectral chamber music. Across professional reviews, commentators frame the record as cultural reclamation and archival revival, rescuing overlooked women artists and marginal experiments and reworking Soviet and post-Soviet musical identity into a coherent narrative.
While admiration is strong, critics balance enthusiasm with contextual nuance: the collection's historical value sometimes overshadows an even listening flow, yet reviewers agree the rescue work and singular tracks make the release essential. As a document of resistance, memory and musical invention, Even the Forest Hums stands as a must-investigate compilation for anyone asking what critics say about the album or hunting the best songs on Even the Forest Hums — especially “Silence”, “Barreras” and “Beatrice” — before diving into the full archival experience.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Barreras
1 mention
"The track is a sublime eight-minute long floatathon"— The Quietus
Silence
3 mentions
"the sparse twinkles of Valentina Goncharova’s minimal, electroacoustic “Silence”."— PopMatters
Episode III (Remastered 2024)
1 mention
"The understated sexiness of Svitlana Nianio’s “Episode III” recalled Nico."— Pitchfork
The track is a sublime eight-minute long floatathon
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Bunny
Oh, Get Ready, Cossack, There Will Be a March
Remembrance
Play, the Violin, Play
Dance (Remastered 2024)
Breath of Night Kyiv
Oh, how, how?
Silence
90
The Great Hen-Yuan' River (Remastered 2024)
Tea Ceremony
North Wind
Barreras (Remastered 2024)
Viella
Sick Song
Episode III (Remastered 2024)
Transference
Beatrice
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Various Artists’ collection Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996 is praised for its astonishing variety and careful curation, and the review repeatedly returns to standouts like “Bunny”, “Silence” and “Beatrice”. The writer’s voice celebrates how tracks bubble between jazz, disco and electroacoustic minimalism, noting the folk-inflected bounce of “Play, the Violin, Play” and the sparse twinkles of “Silence” as defining moments. It reads like a crate-digger’s dream, with the reviewer admiring both singular songs and the compilation’s narrative shape. Overall the review frames these best tracks as emblematic of Ukrainian musicians finding alternate modes of creating under restriction, making them the best tracks on the album by virtue of historical resonance and musical invention.
Key Points
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The best song(s) stand out for blending local folk roots with global genres, making them emblematic of Ukrainian creative resilience.
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The album’s core strengths are its meticulous curation and the wide stylistic range that together create a compelling archival narrative.
Themes
Critic's Take
In his characteristically erudite and slightly wry voice Richard Foster presents Various Artists's Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996 as a collection where standout tracks like “Silence” and “Barreras” reveal the compilation's best songs, because they defy time and place and linger like memory. He praises the record's breadth and curation, noting gems from Kobza's gentle waltz to Sugar White Death's spectral chamber piece, which helps answer what are the best tracks on Even the Forest Hums. The review reads as both historical rectification and musical admiration, explaining why listeners hunting for the best songs on Even the Forest Hums will be drawn to those vividly singular moments.
Key Points
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The best song is judged by arresting, time-defying soundscapes, making "Barreras" the compilation’s highlight.
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The album’s core strengths are broad historical curation and tracks that reclaim Ukrainian musical identity across genres.
Themes
Critic's Take
In her warm, attentive voice Maria Sonevytsky presents Various Artists’ anthology Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996 as a sonic balm and a corrective to stereotype, singling out the haunting “Beatrice” and the minimalist “Silence” as two of the best tracks on the collection. She relishes Ihor Tsymbrovsky’s ethereal falsetto in “Beatrice” and the "sound mantra" of Valentina Goncharova in “Silence”, arguing these best songs show how atmospheric, experimental strains run through decades of Ukrainian music. The review frames the anthology’s strength as its rescue work—recovering women artists and obscure experiments—and positions these standout tracks as clear reasons to seek out the album. Overall, Sonevytsky balances historical sweep with close listening, making a compelling case for the best tracks on this rare compilation.
Key Points
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“Beatrice” is best for its ethereal falsetto and haunting immediacy, which the reviewer highlights as a revelation.
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The anthology's core strength is rescuing overlooked Ukrainian experiments and women artists, offering atmospheric, diverse snapshots across genres.