Light in the Attic Records is releasing a new compilation of Ukrainian music called Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996 on October 18.
This collection, which showcases Ukrainian music from before and after the fall of the Soviet Union, features songs like “Bunny” by Kobza from 1971 and “Play, the Violin, Play” by Kyrylo Stetsenko with Tetiana Kocherhina from 1990. You can listen to both tracks below.
The album also includes tunes from artists like Vodohrai, Krok, Radiodelo, Hostilnia, Ihor Tsymbrovsky, and Uksusnik—the first band of Eugene Hütz. The cover art is by folk painter Maria Prymachenko, and there are historical notes written by Kyiv-based Vitalii “Bard” Bardetskyi. Part of the sales will go to Livyj Bereh, a volunteer group helping rebuild war-affected areas in Ukraine.
Fans often feel deeply connected to music that tells a story about their heritage.
Matt Sullivan from Light in the Attic spent five years carefully putting together this tracklist with David Mas, Mark “Frosty” McNeill, and Shukai Records. The ongoing war gave new meaning to their work. Sullivan shared his thoughts: “We found ourselves in the midst of a larger political issue; what began as a broader overview of a sonically underrepresented region suddenly became quite the controversial project,” he said. “There were times when it felt impossible to bring this project to fruition, so to be sharing it with the world today is truly humbling and long overdue.”
