Rock'n'Russia
The Latest: Mumiy Troll Updates (Sept. 2001)

 If there is anything emblematic of rock'n'roll, it is heart.  It is good to see the rock spirit alive and well in Russia. There is hope for us all.  One could argue that rock'n'roll so permeates the modern music experience from pop to cult from jazz to classical, that this categorization lacks meaning. I have given my meaning in the first sentence above.
It goes without saying that the continuing situation in Russia requires of its people some significant measure of indominability to get through each day. They are famous for this throughout history.
 Regardless of whether you believe my B.S., you owe it to yourself to check out bands like Inna and the Farlanders and Mumiy Troll.

Inna and the Farlanders--
There are two versions of the current Farlanders albums in my hands overlap in 10 out of twelve songs. I talk first here about the Russian version, which is the better of the two, in my opinion.
It starts off with the sound of acoustic guitars in the distance as if one were rounding a path in a part and encountering a jam in a half-hidden music shell. The intensity quickly rises and we are suddenly face up to a dance of lilting reeds and a very tight electrified bass and drum. The haunting beauty of Inna Zhelannaya's voice is striking, insistent in its charms. I don't understand a word. I wish I did. It doesn't matter.  Her backing is a bunch of guys mostly named Sergei and they are all quite good, giving us a rich stew of ethnic bravado and virtuoso jazz rock riffing.
The version released in the U.S. trades includes two new songs but loses two from the Russian version. (I like the Russian selection better.) It also rearranges the order of the music, starting the album off rather bravely, I thought, with the jazziest number, Twilight, a polyrythmic tour-de-force topped by Inna's oddly-keyed vocal. Given that the blurb on the CD cover categorizes the music as "folk rock" I can imagine some jaws dropping at the listening kiosk on this one. Not much like, say, Crosby, Stills & Nash, but many adventurous fans of bands like that may still get a kick of Inna's tightly rocking ensemble. This kind of multi-influenced music defies easy categorization, but I would have to believe that Inna and the Farlanders would be a sure hit with audience attuned to jazz fusion, .

Mumiy Troll--
And how about Mumiy Troll!? Simply one of the most dynamic bands in the world today. You don't have to take my word for it. There is a generous lot of sound out at their official website. Or, at least there was, recently they're been revamping it. It is only viewable with IE5 at the moment, and the English version is also missing, but this is due to be corrected soon, perhaps already by the time you're reading this. In their CD called Ikra (Caviar), this band recasts classic rock'n'roll with clever twists and turns, along with a good dose of amiable panache. To my ears, there are evocations of ZZTop, Bruce Springsteen, and Jethro Tull. Throw in a little new wave, some soul, and one very cheeky dance number, and you have one awesome party record.
All lyrics are in Russian and I don't understand a stitch. It doesn't matter. Charismatic lead singer Ilia Lagoutenko's supple voice gets all measure of all those Russian syllabyllic distinctions.
My good friend Gleb provides these translation's of
1. Dolya Riska (Piece of Risk)
2. Shamamany (Shama-ma-ns)
3. Siamskiye Serdtsa (Siam Hearts)
4. Ne Zvezda (Not A Star)
5. Del'finy (Dolphins)
6. Ranetka (This word doesn't exist in any dictionary. Sort of a nickname for a girl)
7. Na Yady (_on Poisons_ or _with poisons_)
8 Tak Nado (_The Only Way_ or _It is a must_)
9. Almazamy (By Diamonds)
10. Signaly (Signals)
11. Mal'chik Soldat (A Boy [is a] Soldier)
12. Golod (Hunger/Starvation)
13. Sayonara Diska (can't translate - something danceable with japanese accent)
14. Daleko (Far Away)

These guys should be world famous.

Mumiy Troll Updates (Sept. 2001)

• On October 4, 2000, National Public Radio's All Things Considered did a story on bootlegged music in Russia. It includes coverage of Mumiy Troll, including comments by Ilia in English!. The RealAudio archive is still posted. Listen by clicking here.
  (The mention of a US tour was apparently just one date in New York that year, as far as I can tell.)
• Check out Tania's cool Mumiy Troll site by clicking here. (from Belgium...)