«Back from the U.S.S.R.» — New Haven Advocate (USA, New Haven)

Back from the U.S.S.R.

Mumiy Troll threatens world; Groovski makes peace

Mumiy Troll with Groovski
9 p.m., Oct. 3. Café Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. $10. 203–789–8281, cafenine.com.

Hailing from Vladivostock, Russia, Mumiy Troll`s biography is hard to put down. Their video for the song “Bloodyvostok 2000■ was Russia`s “Video Killed the Radio Star,■ the first ever to be aired on MTV Russia on its debut in 1998. They were declared “Best Band of the Millennium■ by a group of leading Russian music critics. A (not entirely true) rumor circulates that Mumiy Troll tours in an ex-military submarine.

“We`re still waiting for international waters license plate,■ says singer Ilya Lagutenko. “Some underwater rules are stricter than those above.■

On Saturday, Russia`s biggest band plays at one of New Haven`s smallest rooms — Café Nine. Though Mumiy Troll can fill arenas in Russia, they are just as comfortable in cozier locales.

“It keeps you soooo realistic about how and what you are doing,■ Lagutenko says. “Whether it`s a big open-air or small club with dodgy sound system, I am trying to reach maximum energy level possible.■

Vladivostock is a city near the North Korean border, only a one-hour flight from Tokyo, but 10 hours from Moscow. The people there drive Japanese cars, babies wear Japanese diapers and it`s common for people eat uni (sea urchin) for dinner. In the `80s and early `90s, it was a lawless town where gangsters ruled the streets, the “Wild West of Russia,■ but it was too far from Moscow for anyone in power to notice, or to care.

In this environment formed Mumiy Troll in 1983. It was an underground project in the truest sense. They played sparsely-attended shows behind the iron curtain in a time when, in theory, the government could decide what music could be performed and what couldn`t. They were labeled “one of the most dangerous bands in the world■ by the Communist Party, because of its scary-sounding name (it means “Mummies` Troll■). This declaration did little to stop what was then a very small-time act, but it continues to yield press release gold good to this day.

In 1997, after a brief hiatus for Lugatenko`s military service (and six years after the fall of communism in Russia), Mumiy Troll reunited and released its first serious, official, this-time-for-real album Morskaya. It was an instant success. In the years since, they`ve become something of a social phenomena. They`re influential enough to affect Russian trends and to steer youth culture. They have their own social networking site, ikra.tv. A school textbook even calls the band the most important cultural emergence to influence the `90s generation in Russia.

“It was some sociological study they did,■ Lagutenko says. “Apparently, most young Russians decided Mumiy Troll was more than just songs. It`s hard for me to discuss that. Lots of people would say it`s just a clever PR stunt, but I`ve met the professor who did this study. He apparently never was in love with our music, but was very impressed by bare facts. So like it or not, we might have changed our country already.■

In an age in which bands like “gypsy punks■ Gogol Bordello can fill American clubs, it seems as good a time as any for Mumiy Troll to hit the States. The main difference, however: Mumiy Troll lyrics are in Russian. Is the U.S. ready for a foreign language band? The band has recorded some songs in English, but when it came time to release Comrade Ambassador — its debut release in the U.S. influenced by new wave, Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie — the band decided to stay true to its native language.

“Artists from all over the world come to the States trying to conquer your hearts and minds,■ Lagutenko says. “Being a foreign rock band is quite a challenge. Consider us a new-age fertilizer or just magic seed.■

From the Far East to Poland to Connecticut. Last seen in 2007, New Haven`s own Groovski comes out of retirement to round out Saturday`s Eastern European theme with its quirky Polish trance rock.

“We stopped playing just as the Connecticut indie scene was starting to like us,■ says frontman Adam Malec. “Our last show at BAR was probably the best sounding show we ever did. Even Merge Records was mildly interested in us. Then suddenly, [bassist] Leslie Blatteau decided that she didn`t want to play anymore. She was very busy with her grad school at Yale and she became a homeowner, too. I thought, ▒No problem, it`s been fun.`■

The newest incarnation of Groovski will go back to basics, with drummer Bogdan Chudy being Malec`s only on-stage foil. With bizarre, broken-English lyrics processed through trippy delay and a constant driving pulse, Groovski was a pleasant discovery for New Haveners. Groovski didn`t quite fit on any bill, so they fit on every bill. They were true originals in a place where uniqueness is appreciated, but infrequently achieved. The lure of an offer to play an Eastern European night at Café Nine with his best known band was too great for Malec to resist.

Will it be a lasting reunion?

“I think there will be other shows. If we end up sounding good, then I must say, yes.■

Mike Sembos