Stumbled upon this Spotify playlist, Post Punk Wave, by complete chance. It features numerous post-punk Russian bands. Quite fascinating (and cold).
The videos below, some of my favourite tracks from the playlist.
Ploho (Russian for “bad”) is a Russian post-punk band from Novosibirsk, formed in 2013.
The group was established in Novosibirsk in 2013. In an interview with Post-Punk.com the band cited growing up in the “rather cold and dark time” of “total crime and chaos” of Russia in the 1990s as drawing the band members towards punk music from an early age. Most influential to the band in this period was the seminal Soviet 80s post punk band Kino.
In 2018, the American radio station XRAY.fm listed the band’s album Куда птицы улетают умирать (“Where the birds fly away to die”) in their ranking of the top 25 best albums of the year.
In June 2020, the band signed with Canadian record label Artoffact Records. In February 2021, the band released Фантомные Чувства (Phantom Feelings).
Perhaps some of you may be familiar with this band: Motorama. Here’s one of my favorite sad-guitar tunes from Motorama, “Alps.”
Alps is also the titled of Motorama’s debut album, a landmark release that firmly established them within the post-punk revival scene. Released in 2010, Alps is a masterclass in the minimalist aesthetic and introspective lyricism characteristic of the genre. With its jangly guitars, driving basslines, and melancholic melodies, Alps captures the essence of 80s post-punk while infusing it with a fresh, contemporary edge. The albums’ standout track, such as “Alps” and “Ghost”, showcase Motorama’s ability to blend catchy melodies with deep emotional resonance, earning critical acclaim and a devoted following.
The band performs songs in English. Vladislav Parshin’s vocals have often been compared with the voice of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis. This, and the fact that Motorama played their first two mini-albums in a style close to the sound of classic post-punk, led to the fact that the group is often accused of copying Joy Division. Motorama’s singles demonstrate a more melodic and ghostly sound than Joy Division’s dark and fast paced punk.
Motorama is currently on their Latin America tour (17 Feb in Bogota, Colombia; 20 Feb in Lima, Peru; 22 Feb in São Paolo, Brazil).
Like a foam in an antique bath
White snow has covered my head
I am slow slow slow slow slowly dying
My blue colored eyes are almost blind
Have a good phantom-feelings day!
💧 You might also like NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS: THE WEEPING SONG.
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Featured image of Molchat Doma via LYL Radio.
