Search - Leningrad :: Swearwords Unplugged

Foul-mouthed fun

Alexander F. Remington | Washington, DC USA | 04/26/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of my favorite Russian bands (other than Splin) is primarily known in Russia for its shockingly filthy lyrics: Leningrad. President Putin caused a mild stir when he engaged them to play at the 300th anniversary of the founding of the city after which they were named in 2003, but they snarled through the performance without any further incident. They remain among the most popular rock bands in the country (though hip-hop, as in most other countries in the world, remains the dominant force on the radio), and their music videos are occasionally broadcast on television, although few of their songs contain enough clean words to be able to be broadcast. (Their level of vulgarity is essentially on par with the songs of South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.)



However, notoriety aside, the music itself is nearly as entertaining without any knowledge of the language. The lead singer, Shnur, growls the lyrics in pub-rock fashion while his band plays happy, punky, horn-heavy ska. Their second album, Mat bez elektrichestva, which translates to Swearwords Unplugged, is a quantum leap forward from their first album, and shows a band which has found its voice. Though one would be hard-pressed to call it a "mature" effort, it shows the band doing what they do best, and that's a good thing.



This music is party music. The lyrics are sophomoric but clever, and the wordplay at times quite witty. For example, the first verse to "Alkogolic" ("Alcoholic") goes as follows:

I love beer, I love vodka,

I love dames and greasy herring,

I don't like your baked bread,

I'm an alcoholic, a ****ing idiot!



It's a huge group, with somewhere between 10 and 15 members at any given time--bass, guitar, drums, sax, trombone, baritone, tuba, and at least two other percussionists, not to mention lead singer, songwriter, and general chief degenerate Sergey Shnurov, who goes by the name of "Shnur." With so many mouths to feed, the band may some day be in danger of having revenues spread too thin, but for the moment the party is still going strong, and the band has been remarkably prolific, averaging around 2 albums a year since their 1999 debut.



In addition to his work with the band, Shnur found the time in 2002 to record a solo album sending up Russian singer-songwriters like Vladimir Vysotsky. Among the band's albums are two collaborations, a 2002 album with Russian electronic band Diskoteka Avariya and a 2005 album featuring the freakish British cabaret band Tiger Lillies. Naturally, the album, Khuynya (whose title is derived from the single worst word in the Russian language) is a mostly successful pairing. Also in 2005 came a new album featuring just the band called Khleb (Bread) and the back-to-basics title of the album indicated a return to what they do best: pissing on everything they come into contact with.



Mat bez elektrichestva is not an album that will win friends or influence people. It lacks both subtlety and taste. It will not make you think, and it will not make you cry. Instead, it does what ska is supposed to do: make you smile and make you dance. That's entertainment, baby. That's what it's all about."