Hearing projects like The Inay is one of the reasons why I love listening to underground hometapers.

An astonishing mix of Nick Drake acoustic meditations, 70s analoge synths, PET SOUNDS-era Beach Boys melodies, Eno-esque ambience, dreamy lounge jazz, and 90s chill-out electronica, THE INAY is, in my mind, the best underground release this year.  It is barely 23 minutes long and yet, like Nick Drake's final album PINK MOON (which is only about three minutes longer), 23 minutes is all that is needed to capture the introspective mood on this disc.

The Inay is the brainchild of one person who goes by the name Dani, who hails from Balarus.  Dani sings in Russian, but it doesn't matter, because even though you don't know what he's saying, you know exactly what he's talking about.  Rustic, dreamy, ghostly, isolated and meloncholic, the nine songs on this disc are jaw-droppingly evocative, like fading audio snapshots from an old family album.  It's difficult to pick out favorites becaue I love every track here, but the best track, in my opinion, is Ocean Birds, a breathtaking mixture of mournful electric guitar, soft breathy vocals and strings that washes over you and carries you out to sea like an overwhelming  tide.

Lest you think this album is a downer, it's not.  There's something uplifting about listening to this album, which seems to be full of hope, even at it's lonliest.  In fact, on Heat, Dani even works up a nice slow funky groove with drums, maracas, bass, tremolo guitar, found sounds, and a gorgeous analog synth.  And the last track, The Life, is a cool psychedelic ambient drone, with a birdsong coda.

Even the packaging is first rate.  The cd cover is a handcut piece of cardboard with the cover picture painted on, with the credits hand-written on the inside.  Also enclosed is a coffee-stained page from a 1993 Russian desk calendar!   This thing even smells good--like something found in an old book shop.  In fact, the feel of the project is that of stumbling upon something from a private diary found in an antique shop.  The whole thing is enclosed in a handmade cardboard box, with hand-drawn artwork on the front.  Astounding.

The Inay is a truly heady musical and aesthetic experience.  Underground music does not get much better--or much more personal--than this.

Contact--email:  music@inay.info

Websites:  www.inay.info  and www.myspace.com/theinay