Lost World Band

In the Empty Town

1.See the City

2.Escape and Run

3.Cosmic Grind

4.Trick of the Light

5.Unbounded

6.Angel

7.Mist

8.In the Empty Town

9.As Darkness Falls

10.Galloping Past

11.Into the Pouring Rain  

Words and music by Lost World Band

Produced by Akimov-Didorenko

Original cast:

Vassili Soloviev - flute

Andy Didorenko - violin, guitar, bass, backing vocals, harmonica

Alexander Akimov - keyboards, bongos

Guest musicians:

Brian Paley - vocal (1, 2, 4, 11)

Phoebe Carter - vocal (6, 8, 11)

Yuliya Basis - piano (5)

Ben Cooper - drums (1, 2)

Veniamin Rozov - drums (5)

Jordan McQueen - drums (9, 10)

Francesca Pratt - drums (8, 11)

Manuel Trabucco - saxophone (11)

Recorded in 1996, 2010, 2025

Lyrics translation: Yuliya Basis

Cover art: Andy Didorenko

Photo: Vladimir Akimov

Design: Alexandr Akimov

Produced by Lost World Band

"In the Empty Town" concludes the trilogy of cassette albums completed in 1996.

Looking back on the period 1993-1994, one can only marvel at Lost World Band's energy and productivity. Despite spending a significant amount of time "discussing creative concepts," in the summer of 1993, two of the co-authors got accepted into Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Akimov moved to Nizhny Novgorod, Didorenko changed residence three times, and Soloviev took on three jobs.

The song "In the Empty Town", written by Andy in the summer of 1993, provided the concept for the entire album, but it took some time for it to come together. The first version was recorded in June-July 1994. There were always numerous songs and compositions in the works, and decisions had to be made which pieces should appear on which album and in what order. The album was meant to be heard as a coherent, dynamic piece of music.

Most of the pieces remain in their original form, with the exception of "As Darkness Falls" and "Galloping Past." While maintaining the overall mood and guitar riffs, both of these pieces were re-composed by Andy in July 2025. The flute track was transferred from the four-track tape recorded in 1996, the “Unbounded” is taken from a 2010 session, and all the other instruments were recorded anew in 2025.

Track by track

1. See the City (Akimov-Didorenko)

Composed in close collaboration between Andy and Alex in June 1995 and 1996. At some point, Vassili was amused to find Alex and Andy in hysterics trying to come up with 28 adjectives for a city

2. Escape and Run (Soloviev-Didorenko)

Written by Vassili and Andy about a seller of dreams. A bold departure for both songwriters as they ventured from F major chord to F sharp, which was unheard of in pop music

3. Cosmic Grind (Akimov-Didorenko)

Composed and demoed in January 1995, when Andy and Alex got together in the conservatory dorm room to make some experimental instrumentals. After 5 exhausting days, the session ended quite abruptly: Alex was fined and deported from Moscow for not having a city registration

4. Trick of the Light (Akimov)

Composed in 1996 about Alex's romantic interest at the time

5. Unbounded (Akimov)

Composed and demoed in 1994. The first attempt to remake this composition was made in December 2010 during the last recording session of the band’s 2000s line up, with Veniamin Rozov on drums. At that time, the track was shelved, and Andy moved towards working on Solar Power material.

6. Angel (Didorenko)

Andy's soulful song from January 1995, it's the very last addition to the album, thanks to a delicate nudge from Yuliya Basis.

7. Mist (Soloviev)

A gentle guitar composition by Vassili written in summer 1993 as “Rain”

8. In the Empty Town (Didorenko)

Written at home in Dnipro in August 1993, later embellished with a separately written chorus.

9. As Darkness Falls (Didorenko)

Originally ‘In the Empty Town Part 2’, this newly written composition showcases Andy’s guitar work and adds a sinister hard rock edge to the album.

10. Galloping Past (Didorenko)

Originally ‘In the Empty Town Part 3’, written in July 2025. Although maintaining the opening riff from 1994, this symphonic composition sums up the album and reprises the chorus from the eponymous song.

11. Into the Pouring Rain (Soloviev-Didorenko)

Developed from a demo Vassili wrote in 1992. A catchy melodic element of the chorus was picked up by Andy, and eventually Vassili finished the song in May 1996. Separate recordings by Brian and Phoebe miraculously come together.

In the Empty Town Timeline

March 8, 1993: Andy and Vassili compose and record a demo of "Lost in the Time" - an early version of "Escape and Run."

June-July 1993: Conservatory entrance exams. Alex departs to Nizhnii Novgorod

August 1993: at home on vacation, Andrey writes "In the Empty Town"

September 1993: Vassili and Andy compose numerous songs and compositions, including "Mist." During the recording process, Andy misses his train to Voronezh, where he was scheduled to play the violin concert. He takes the train next day and still makes it

June-July 1994: Alex, Vassili, and Andy record the first version of the album at home. By this time, Alex has already composed "Unbounded."

January 1995: Andy composes a song about an Angel. Andy and Alex create a set of instrumental compositions, including "Cosmic Grind." Immediately after finishing recording, Alexander was fined and expelled from Moscow for not having a ‘city registration’.

July 1995, Andy and Alex compose "See the City" in the countryside.

September 1995, as a member of student chamber orchestra, Andy went on tour to Japan, where he purchased the necessary recording equipment. The following months are spent studying the manual.

September 1996: The second version of the album, featuring Alexey Rybakov's vocals, was released on cassette along with ‘The Dawn’ and ‘Remission’

December 2010: A remake of Unbounded was recorded with Veniamin Rozov on drums and Yuliya Basis, piano.

March-October 2025: in collaboration with freelance musicians found on Fiverr website, Andy recorded a new version of the album. Lyrics are translated and edited by Yuliya and Andy

In July 2025, "As Darkness Falls" and "Galloping Past" (originally "In the Empty Town parts 2-3") were rewritten.