"Older than the old, younger than the young"

Russian music on CD

"Leningrad". The last concert of “Leningrad” (CD + DVD, “Soyuz”). A rare album whose content is limited by its title: the last concert of the Leningrad group. True, the last one before the reunion - the group recently gave two concerts at the Arena Moscow club, but still everything is clear, so there is no need, as the hero of one obscene writer said, “to throw snot on your fist,” especially since all sorts of equivocations and graceful turns of phrase are not at all what Shnur and his comrades are famous for. Their playful ska sound and aphoristic directness of the lyrics (the title is a line from their song about themselves) are well known to everyone. Among the songs are WWW folk hits, “Up in the Air,” “When there is no money,” “Dacha,” plus opuses with obscene names. And all this goes on vigorously non-stop. The sound is good, simply magnificent for a concert recording. And the best part is the “constructivist” design. What can I say? Aesthetes, bl@.

I-Q. “If I do...” (“Union”). The sticker on the cover warns: “Attention - Reggae music,” and such a warning is kind of funny, because it is known that a more peaceful and soulful genre than reggae cannot be found in the whole world. And, although this is Russian reggae, in Russian... Yes, in this case you should keep your eyes open. Well, firstly, because what thirty-year-old and surprisingly young-looking I-Q is doing is not very reggae. This is such high-quality melodic pop with a little reggae “spring” and characteristic choking singing. In style, this is closest to the group “Micah and Jumanji”, whose niche, formed with the premature death of Micah eight years ago, has not yet been filled by anyone. I would venture to guess that I-Q will not fill it soon either. He is a good, confident singer, a good, confident melodist, but some completely made-up song themes get in the way. Not even the themes - they seem to be correct, but exactly what is “correct” is hopelessly predictable: love, Jamaica, Bob Marley, Babylon, but all this seems to be for show, without nerve. Consequently, the texts are not so much written as “collected” from endless verbal rhymes, confused stresses and general logical confusion in the presentation of elementary ideas and plots. And without love “the color of blood running through the veins.”

Nike Borzov. “From the Inside” (“Union”). There is very little truly melodic pop rock in our country. Or guitar pop music - call it what you want, but in general it’s clear what exactly is missing: lively, bright songs, with original melodies and aphoristic lyrics. There is little smart pop music, and there is even less humanly joyful rock without banter. Nike Borzov, of course, is not the kind of character who will amuse a dear listener from morning to night, probably not some kind of Peter Nalich. Borzov’s last album, “Splinter,” was called by some music journalists “the first album of Russian post-rock,” which somehow gradually got into your head and got stuck there for a long time. “Thorn” is an adequate name: first it pricks, then it rips. “From the inside” is something exactly the opposite: in style, mood, presentation, and so on. “The Beginning of the Day” or “Victoria” are songs that seem to be composed in one breath, and frivolous songs, composed as if in one breath, are actually something that musicians struggle with all their lives. In terms of sound, everything also seems to be unpretentious and cheerful. Borzov has former Zemfirin guitarist Korney and guys from the old Bi-2 lineup - one might say, a supergroup. The creepy term “supergroup” does not always mean that the group is super, often just the opposite. But not here.

Alexander BELYAEV