Bomb! Estonian multi-instrumentalist Misha Panfilov returns with Days As Echoes, a sophomore release that channels the expansive spirit of Krautrock through the lens of contemporary ambient and spiritual jazz. Part of Panfilov's ever-expanding musical universe, the Misha Panfilov Sound Combo delivers six compositions that function as both individual meditations and a cohesive sonic narrative about hope, journey, and human connection. Drawing from an impossibly diverse palette that includes Ethiopian jazz, library music, cinema soundtracks, and ambient textures, Days As Echoes creates what can only be described as "uplifting, joyous, cross-pollinated spiritual, kraut, drone, ambient mood music." The album's emotional granularity emerges from Panfilov's masterful layering of melodies, where repetitive patterns build into something approaching transcendence.

The title track opens with a dedication to simpler times—"when the sky was bluer and the snow was whiter"—establishing the album's central theme of nostalgia tempered by awareness. In A Dream pays homage to both spiritual jazz and ambient music, creating a stormy dreamscape that leads to moments of profound clarity. The standout Together reveals itself as the album's most peaceful composition, a meditation on the impossibility of achieving happiness in isolation. Moonscape Waltz evokes the romance of train travel at golden hour, embodying Lao Tzu's wisdom about thousand-mile journeys beginning with single steps. Meanwhile, A Few Layers For Smith draws energy from Steve Reich's minimalist approach while maintaining the primitive lo-fi basement aesthetic that gives Panfilov's work its distinctive character.

The album concludes with Ocean Song, which moves from ritual shoreline rhythms to crashing waves of guitar feedback, suggesting that personal growth and experience are meaningless unless shared with others. Throughout, Panfilov handles synthesizers, Wurlitzer, piano, acoustic and electric guitars, electric bass, cassette effects, percussion, and vocals, supported by a carefully chosen ensemble including Madis Katkosilt and Rauno Vaher on drums, Anna Dotsenko on vocals, and contributions from Ilja Gussarov (flute), Sasha Petrov (tenor sax), and Kino Toshiki (trumpet).

Days As Echoes represents a perfect entry point into Panfilov's vast discography while showcasing his ability to create music that functions equally well as background ambience and focused listening. It's an album that demands to be experienced as a complete journey—one that leaves the listener with an unmistakable sense of joy and fulfillment.