Following the recent release of IAMTHEMORNING‘s new studio album The Bell, to worldwide praise from media and fans alike, the Russian duo, comprising of virtuoso classical pianist Gleb Kolyadin and charismatic vocalist Marjana Semkina have a live studio video for the song “Six Feet”, filmed by the band’s long-time collaborator Eggor Kree at Lendok studios in St Petersburg.
LISTEN TO “SIX FEET” FROM THE BELL HERE
Vocalist and lyricist Marjana explains in more depth her inspiration behind both The Bell and “Six Feet” and how she re-imagined the story.
“My love for all things Victorian started with a fascination for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. One of the founding members and one of the most famous British artists, to this day, is Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The person, maybe less well known was the artist and poet Elizabeth “Lizzie” Siddal; who was also the wife and muse of Rossetti. The couple’s history is quite heart-breaking and served as a sort of inspiration for the song. Theirs was a tale of a toxic relationship filled with heartbreak, infidelity, constant manipulation and laudanum addiction. All of which untimely resulted in her death at the young age of 32.
After her death Rossetti, the husband overwhelmed by grief after the death of his beloved, put a notebook filled with his unpublished poems into her casket – she was the inspiration for most of them it’s right they should rest in peace with her.
Several years later his manager decided it was a terrible waste of good material and suggested an exhumation to retrieve the valuable works! Rossetti refused to be present at the process and later on he officially requested to not be buried at Highgate, where his family and Lizzie lay, because he thought she’d haunt him forever, a reasonable thought – I certainly would have! To calm Rossetti’s conscience his manager told him that when they opened the coffin, she was just as beautiful as on the day of her burial, with her pale skin and bright copper hair which had continued to grow and filled the entire coffin with her burning red locks.
My story, however, is a little different. I wondered, what if he hadn’t waited until she died and instead decided to bury her alive once he tired of her? And here the dark story begins; she wakes up and realises what has happened”
Here my hands reaching lid
Of coffin hidden
In the ground on six feet in
I end and I begin
In darkness I am blind
I will find
Peace and solace
Worms and white lace
“Whilst his tragic Lizzie is in this mortal peril he’s enjoying his newly acquired freedom with just a few hints of guilt”
Her enigmatic smile
Will always shine
But I don’t mind
Saying goodbye
My hand still yearns for hers
But there’s a hearse
Escorts her home
Iamthemorning’s dedication to writing forward-thinking and thought-provoking music has seen them create a new album of impressive depth and playability. The Bell is a modern blend of rock, classical and folk, making use of 19th Century song cycles – a style established by Schubert – that cohesively tells 10 individual stories. Recorded in March 2019 across Russia, the UK and Canada in several studios: Mosfilm in Moscow; Lendoc and Red Wave in St Petersburg; Noatune in London; The Studio at Sunbeams, Penrith; and Union Sound Company in Toronto. With engineering and mastering handled by Vlad Avy.
The Bell has been released on CD in a digi sleeve, a gatefold LP & digitally and isAVAILABLE TO PURCHASE NOW
Iamthemorning have confirmed they will be playing numerous shows in support of The Bell, beginning with European dates with Riverside in September including headline shows in The Netherlands and UK – details below
w/ Riverside
19/09 – DE- REICHENBACH, Neuberinhaus
20/09 – DE – MÜNCHEN, Freiheiz
21/09 – DE – MÜNSTER, Jovel Music Hall
22/09 – DE – NÜRNBERG, Hirsch
24/09 – DE – MAINZ, Kuz
25/09 – LUX – ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE, Kulturfabrik
26/09 – DE – KARLSRUHE, Substage
28/09 – DE – POTSDAM, Waschhaus
Headline / festival shows:
18/09 – NL – Zwolle – Hedon
21/09 – NL – Arcen – Elfia
01/10 – UK – London – The Courtyard Theatre Studio (standing venue)
02/10 – NL – Maastricht – Intro In Situ
TICKETS ON SALE NOW – www.facebook.com/iamthemorningpage/
