RUSSKAJA

Declaring your band as "the most successful innovators" of 'Russian Turbo Polka Metal' treads a fine line between ridicule and intrigue. Fortunately, I love musical idiosyncrasy so such a label is enough to whet my curiosity. The Russian tag is perhaps a little misleading though as this Vienna-based bunch of oddballs feature a multi-national lineup of Austrians, Ukrainians as well as Russians. 'Energia!' is their third album and, while it certainly delivers a degree of sonic derangement, ultimately fails to meet expectations and intrigue engendered by that somewhat misleading subgeneric label. Polka? Yep, the rhythms and song structures adhere to a polka vibe. Turbo? Well, it's a largely up-tempo affair but turbo suggests something akin to the hyper-speed dynamic of Cryptopsy et al. This it is not. And metal? 'Energia!' falls short here too with only small bursts of heavy guitar sporadically introduced into proceedings. Ridiculous and intriguing labels aside, this would be better described as an amalgam between Bad Manners, Gogol Bordello and Oingo Boingo coloured with a few metal infusions. And with some songs veering into Eurovision territory, there's also a cheesy element to Russkaja's aesthetic. With all that said, in the right frame of mind, 'Energia!' is a great deal of fun. It's also a slickly produced/mixed/mastered effort so ticks all the right boxes here too. However, seemingly marketed (and aligning themselves) within the 'novelty band' realm, such acts have ephemeral appeal and, as such, the lasting appeal of this album is debatable. Ultimately, I predict Russkaja are a band best digested live to truly appreciate their quasi-demented vibe.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Napalm Records

Album

ENERGIA!

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

40:16

RELEASE DATE:

5th April 2013

TRACK LISTING

1) Eenergia; 2) Barada
3) Radost Moja
4) Autodrom
5) Istanbul
6) Violina Mia
7) Kartuli Vino
8) Surrealnaja
9) Dikije Deti
10) Ajajaj
11) Tanzi Tanzi
12) Sorry

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Ru/At/Ua

"...an amalgam between Bad Manners, Gogol Bordello and Oingo Boingo coloured with a few metal infusions."