«Mumiy Troll/Empty Bottle» — NewCity Music (Chicago)
Mumiy Troll/Empty Bottle (Chicago)
RECOMMENDED
I`m not one for directly quoting press releases, but any band that sells itself as a “household name from Siberia to Moscow and beyond■ deserves a notice. The band describes its sound as “rockapops,■ which is basically a blend of, yes, rock and pop, which in these hands sounds and feels a hell of a lot like a laid-back Russian Pulp. “Comrade Ambassador■ is Mumiy Troll`s North American debut, and its devilish slickness impresses throughout all proper thirteen tracks. The final bonus track, a bizarre cover of The Mamas and the Papas` “California Dreamin`,■ works both on straightforward and ironic levels, considering how strange it is to hear it sung in Russian, and the image it creates of the band performing the song to a Siberian crowd. (For a band originally formed in 1983, “Comrade Ambassador■ feels delightfully fresh.) Huge in its homeland, Mumiy Troll has been attacked in its past by Communist leaders, labeled “socially dangerous■ to people at large. You can decide for yourself, but when I think of socially dangerous bands, Mimiy Troll isn`t the first that comes to mind. I`m looking your way, Matchbox 20.