Video Premiere: Russia`s Mumiy Troll — Blurt

Video Premiere: Russia`s Mumiy Troll

Howdy, amigo: song comes from new album Vladivostok which just dropped this week.

By Blurt Staff

It is without a doubt one of the strangest/creepiest, yet visually straightforward and compelling, videos we have seen in a long time: that would be «Hey Tovarish» by Russia`s acclaimed Mumiy Troll, and it is also the rockers` first English language platter. A long time coming on that front, indeed, ▒cos the group`s glammy, Stones-y swagger has found ▒em selling out pretty much everywhere they turn up for years. Frontman Ilya Lagutenko is a main force behind the group`s charisma, although this time around the American market push comes with the production assists of Mike Clink (Guns N` Roses, Megadeth), Joe Chiccarelli (My Morning Jacket, The Shins) and Brit Greg Brimson (Bush, Eminem).

Lagutenko comments on the video:

I was familiar with director S.F. Porcaro`s past work and I liked his sense of humor and visual style. The «Hey Tovarish» video is our attempt to say hello to our new English-speaking friends on the other side of the pond.

«Tovarish» means «comrade» in Russian. In Soviet Russia, it was considered very formal, but now it`s considered almost politically incorrect. I felt like I was destined to add a bit of new flavor to the old word. I believe that rock n roll is one of those magic tricks that allow you to transform something obvious into something new and exciting. I want «tovarish» to become the new «amigo.»