Hullo. Do you have Russian bands to recommend? Especially rock/metal ones? Have a good day~
Hey there! My knowledge of Russian bands is comparatively small to others, but here’s a recs list. Those bands are along a varied output across the spectrum; many of my individual recommendations are ‘harder’ tracks, but not all. There’s some techno and electronica in there, as well as the mellow stuff.
Since this is the first band many non-Russians think of when asked to name a ‘Russian band’, and since most people already know their greatest hits (’Звезда по имени Солнце’, ‘Группа крови’, etc.), I’d like to link the tracks that appeal to me at the moment.
’Мама, мы все тяжело больны’ (’Mom, We’ve All Become Terribly Ill’)
’Закрой за мной дверь, я ухожу’ (’Close the Door Behind Me, I am Leaving’)
’Песня без слов’ (’Song Without Words’)
Rock and varying genres. Way too many songs to recommend, but these are the ones that got me into this band. If the strands of ‘Давай-наяривай’ sounds familiar to you, that’s probably a giveaway that you’ve played certain games rather often 😌
‘Давай-наяривай’ (’Go on, Strum’)
Heavy metal. Found this band many years ago through the Rammstein cover below, but only started listening to them proper when I began learning Russian. Making my way through their output backwards atm.
’Кровь за кровь’ (’Blood for Blood’, about The Master and Margarita)
’Беспечный ангел’ (’Carefree Angel’)
’Штиль’ ('Calm’ - also covered by Till Lindemann and Richard Kruspe of Rammstein as ‘Schtiel’)
Мастер (Master) (Formed by ex-members of Ария)
Thrash metal. There’s a very particular sound I love from them that all the tracks below have, but I don’t know how to describe it… holy metal, maybe?
‘Пепел на ветру’ (’Ashes in the Wind’)
’Боже, храни нашу злость’ ‘(Lord, Save Us From Evil’)
Король и Шут (Korol’ i Shut; ‘King and Jester’)
Punk, horror, and a deep understanding of folk. The gallows humour side of the Russian soul. I love reading the lyrics for this band, the level of black comedy cannot be understated.
’Прыгну со скалы’ (’I’ll Jump Off a Cliff’)
’Танец злобного гения’ (’The Dance of a Spiteful Genius’)
’Хардкор по-русски’ (’Hardcore, Russian-Style’) (🤣)
I mostly enjoy their later output. They may be somewhat poppy for your tastes, but I’d recommend at least a listen. I’ve tried to link to the tracks only throughout this post, but made an exception for Leningrad, because their music videos are works of art and cannot be missed.
’В Питере — пить’ (’In Piter We Drink’)
’Кабриолет’ (’Cabriolet’)
Наутилус Помпилиус (Nautilus Pompilius)
Post-punk and new wave. Found this band through Брат (’Brother’), like I reckon many non-Russian listeners have. They have a vast output I’m maybe 40% into listening, but these are the gems I found.
’Во время дождя’ (’During the Rain’)
‘Одинокая птица’ (’Lonesome Bird’)
’Я хочу быть с тобой’ (I Want to be With You’)
Synthpop and new wave. When I first discovered them barely anyone seemed to remember they existed, but in the past year or two I’ve seen an increase in covers of 'Белая ночь’. For whatever reason Forum appears to have returned to the internet’s consciousness, which I’m glad for.
’Давайте созвонимся’ (’Let’s Call Each Other!’)
’Белая ночь’ (’White Night’)
’Журавль в небе’ (’Crane in the Sky’)
Земляне (Zemlyane; ‘Earthlings’)
Pop-rock and synthpop. If you enjoy space and planetary wonders and any sense of hope for humankind, you must check them out. I’m pretty cynical but I do like space, and more than anything, their songs are incredibly addictive.
‘Путь домой’ (1984) (’The Way Home’)
Прости, земля’ (’Forgive us, Earth’)
‘Трава у дома’ (’The Grass By Home’)
Комплексные Числа (Kompleksnye Chisla; ‘Complex Numbers’)
Techno/Electronica. Probably the oddest entry on here, but their lyrics hit me square in an area of interest, which is philosophy (specifically, they sing about transhumanism). I really recommend checking out ‘Неизбежность’ at least.
‘Неизбежность’ (’Inevitability’)
’Земное притяжение’ (’Earth’s Attraction’)
Воскресение (Voskresenie; ‘Resurrection’)
This is my most recently discovered band. I don’t yet know much about them, but came across 'Сколько было звёзд’ recently and was spellbound by the dreamy atmosphere. Definitely making my way through their discography, of which thankfully there is a lot.
’Сколько было звёзд’ (’There Were So Many Stars’)
‘По дороге разочарований’ (’Down The Road of Bitter Disappointments’)
Honourable mention: David Tukhmanov’s По волне моей памяти (’On the Wave of My Memory’). The entire album. The genre is best summed up as ‘Soviet prog rock’, but it’s far more than that, it was revolutionary at the time. The lyrics are all from poetry within and without Russia (translated into Russian if the latter); if you’re interested in that kind of thing, you must check it out. I’d recommend ‘Современник - Из Сафо’ and ‘Сердце, мое сердце’.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. Better-known bands than what’s here exist (e.g. ДДТ, Аквариум), which were left off this list purely because I haven’t gotten around to listening to them yet. But if you’re new to Russian music, I hope this will provide a good start to your listening adventure 🌻🌱💖
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