St. Petersburg’s ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ label has been responsible for some lovely packaging over the years, and A Book of Memories is yet another charmer.  The embroidered box (designed by Mila Berestovaya & Tim Six) contains cassettes from Sunmoonstar, YlangYlang and Jum-Jum, together forming a Russian tapestry as warm and welcoming as a fire.  Each is also available separately in download or tape form.  The set draws on folklore, yet couches the presentation in modern skins; each has a backstory that sounds like a page from a wondrous collection of fairy tales.

Open the box, and the stories begin to unfold.  Sunmoonstar‘s Картины (Paintings) tells of “an old book that was itself a story,” its pages turned by “the crystal clear winter air.”  The tones fall as gently as snow, twinkling like frost on “озеро (lake)”.  This gentle album honors the winter solstice, marking the longest day with the sweetest sounds:…