Mumiy Troll — Vladivostok — music-news.com

Mumiy Troll — Vladivostok

The name Mumiy Troll might suggest some bizarre creature out of a Tolkien novel, but wrong. Mumiy Troll (the name is a pun on Moomin Troll, a series of Finnish children`s books) is a hugely popular Russian band, and ▒Vladivostok` is their first English language album.

Fronted by the irrepressible Ilya Lagutenko (guess which city he`s from), it has (literally) been a long journey for him to arrive where he is today – especially musically. In his youth, he was exposed to illicit Western rock and pop that the sailors smuggled in via the local naval base. No wonder a young Ilya cultivated aspirations of becoming a sailor himself. Ok, he served in the Red Army but at the tender age of fifteen, Ilya formed Mumiy Troll. As he is quick to explain his first steps, “We couldn`t play at all■. Still, after they got the licence all Soviet musicians needed, the band played at the ▒Festival Of Patriotic Song` and were promptly blacklisted. Their music was deemed as not good for young Communist Party members to hear. The publicity couldn`t have been better!

Lagutenko`s odyssey really started from that moment on and is too complex to re-tell, so let`s keep it simple: The Mandarin language which he had studied took him to London in 1994 to work with capitalist monolith Barings Bank before its collapse. That, however, did not deter his spirits and Lagutenko soaked up Camden Town`s Britpop atmosphere instead.

Lagutenko is full-on aware that he`s from a non rock ▒n` roll country and that English is not his mother tongue… Let`s face it, East European and Russian music will most likely never have the very R&B influences that bands from those counties so admire.
Great effort has been made with the design – the CD cover sports a whimsical illustration of a half man/half fish creature in native sailor garb.

Opener ▒Fantastica` is smooth pop-rock with a slick guitar interludes by Yuri Tsaler, and we are introduced to Laguntenko`s slightly nasal lilt.
▒Love Contraband` is an example of what Lagutenko meant when he spoke of his first language album as ▒safe`. Once again, it`s slick arrangement combined with a radio-friendly tune turn this into a danceable number, although it won`t set the dance floor on fire and the keyboards don`t add much at all except a vintage feel of synth-pop.
Things warm up on ▒Hey Tovarish` with it`s distinct bass line intro (courtesy of Eugene Sdwig) – there is a cool Bowie vibe to the song, it`s in fact a great number and our man Lagutenko turns a little bolder in the vocal department.

Some fabulous backing vocals can be heard on ▒Nothing Promised` – saving this from middle-of-the-road mediocrity. Mumiy Troll obviously have a knack for fresh tunes.

▒`Not Tomorrow` sees a constant change in pace (not least thanks to Oleg Pungin on drums) and the number exudes a floaty quality – it`s music to glide on, broken up only by the odd guitar solo though the guitar is anything but sneering. Lagutenko does an amiable job delivering the lyrics in English though occasionally, his pronunciation makes for an exotic sonic experience. Mind you, I had more problems understanding a Cockney punk band during a recent gig!

While ▒Lucky Bride` and ▒Sorry Tiger` can hardly be called exciting, it`s the edgier ▒Vladivostok Vacation` that sees the band in breakthrough mode – finally, we have a bit of bite here! It`s obvious that Laguntenko holds a love-hate relationship with his birthplace: “Semi-drunk women / Sailors of gun / Gangrene tattoos / Bottles of rum / Can you hear the heartbeat knocking on my soul?■

Closing track ▒Sleep Rock ▒n` Roll` sounds just like that, but in a nice way – chilled and with feeling. If the lyrics are anything to go by, it also seems to be a cliffhanger of sorts: “Tired out / All talked out / Release the chained-up hound / Till tomorrow / And for now good night / Have some sleep.■

On that note, I wonder what the follow-up album will hold in store. While I don`t agree with the LA Times that ▒Vladivostok` is a nuclear meltdown` (for that, the album sounds way too tame and the lyrics aren`t always accessible enough) I have no doubts that it could happen with one of the band`s next releases.

(Please read my interview with Ilya Lagutenko in our ▒Interviews` section).