If you are already familiar with Ukrainian electro-acoustic artist Andrey Kiritchenko, 'Overt' (his third album on the Japanese SPEKK label) will surprise the hell out of you. Kiritchenko has been active in fields of electronic music since 1998, both with his own projects, as well as collaborations with artists such as Kim Cascone, Francisco Lopez, Jonas Lindgren, Moglass, Jeff Surak, Frans de Waard, Brian Lavelle, Scanner, and others. 'Overt' is much more intense and highly constructed than many of his previous releases, and you might not be prepared for what you're about to experience right off the bat. First, this is a very active album. Most pieces are quite busy with a lot going on. If I had to only use one phrase to describe it, that would be "staccato contrapuntal extravaganza." It's deceptive though; from the first minute and a half of "Enough Heaven (Absolute)," you think you're going to get mellow ambient, but then the staccato bassoon comes in and sets the tone for most of the rest of the album. Jazz-tinged new classical is largely what the music of 'Overt' falls into. With the underpinning of staccato instruments melodies and contrapuntal harmonies are woven into the fabric of these pieces making what would otherwise seem like an exercise in calculated form a beautiful dance of exquisite interplay. Take "Ecstatic Piece" for example. It begins with a repetitive, climbing cello phrase through which another cello accents single notes, then a third cello plays a bittersweet melody, and single piano notes ascend a scale. Then all instruments coalesce into a repeating melodic figure while other elements support this main theme. An interesting bellish digital synth with filtered noise takes over the rising melody supplanting the strings, and even that sound then morphs into something else as the melody grows sonically complex. This morphing happens a few times throughout the piece but never goes that far afield from the piece's ascendancy. This all leads to a rather rhythmic complexity. These techniques are used throughout 'Overt' in different permutations. On "Soundtrack for a Sad Movie," rhythmically complex piano forms the basis for melancholy string melodies, and sub-melodies on guitar and vibes with incidental melodic bass counterpoint. The more you listen to it, the more amazing you find it. The piece that really got to me though is "Blackouts". It's got this very cool repeating staccato trombone figure which sets the tone off of which everything else plays- brief piano phrases eventually turning more complex; clarinet sub-melodies, electronics and more, with an underpinning of rhythmic staccato bass and brushed snare percussion. Even that changes before the end as nothing stays static. There is much more to this but you really need to hear it, not hear me describe it. Things don't mellow out until "Untold," but even that number becomes complex with it's happy gamelan influences. Perhaps the most techno-infused track is "Manifest" with its one-note repetitive staccato synth holding down the rhythm while a number of varied sonic elements play around it. No melody emerges until the piano takes the lead nearly halfway though, and even that becomes part of the rhythm. It's a marriage of rhythm and melody that few seem to be able to pull off successfully, but Kiritchenko does it with aplomb. This is beyond Reich and Glass, and my only criticism here is that it could have used some spatial sound treatment (reverb, echo) in places to broaden the effect. 'Overt' may be a very busy album but it certainly isn't irritating or fussy like some busy music can be. It's more fascinating, and lends itself to cinematic use, especially in its development of themes, motion, and counterpoint. Not everyone is going to go wild over this, but there is just so much going on that those who are ready for it can't help but be enthralled. I know I was.