Tsyganyata i Ya s Ilyicha - Gaubicy lejtenanta Guruby (1989)

Tsyganyata i Ya s Ilyicha - Gaubicy lejtenanta Guruby (1989)

By: Ghost Writer

1989 might be a controversial year to remember, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the beginning of the end for the USSR, as Vladimir Putin said it, a major geopolitical disgrace, the end of one of the biggest social and political experiment ever, some may become nostalgic about, some not, it definitely depends on the outcome, post-communist countries with successful stories may prefer it this way, like Poland, the Czech Republic and Estonia, others like Russia or Belarus might prefer to get back to the old days.

A reminder of the "old days", right back to 1989 is Tsyganyata i Ya s Ilyicha, a project led by the great Egor Letov and his friends Konstantin Ryabinov and Oleg Sudakov, featuring prominently the vocals and lyrics of Sudakov, Tsyganyata is a free form musical project closer to the spirit of bands like Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, The Fugs, The Residents, Can and the Stooges, the music is raw and demented as hell, with the musician going to some daring musical extremes.

Opener Gaubicy lejtenanta Guruby is an a almost a capella tune, with the band lifting influence from Russian folk songs and orthodox church chanting, the dark and pessimist shadow of Letov music is felt all over, for Na blazhennom ostrove kommunizma the band goes for a ska punk feel on the lighting speed tune, minimalist brass and a great infectious melody, with Sudakov rabid chanting all over the place.

For Pariki shin'ony kosy, Letov abrasive guitars appear alongbwith subtle keyboard melodies and battered brass, again the band showing great instinct for creating powerful grooves within the context of lo fi production so favored by Letov, while on Improvizaciya na temu slov the musicians go really crazy on this free form of punk rock that finds an immediate soul bonding with the Stooges proto punk wanderings in the end of the 60s, latter visiting very early Mothers of Invention on Pesnya gvozdya, a tune tha wouldn't sound out of place on the mythical Freak Out!

There is the punk blast of Opozdavshaya molodyozh, the Faust like experimental of Xozhu xozhu and then the nostalgic sinister sound of Spat that is pure Letov, but the band quickly tightens up for the apocalyptic march named Russkie.

What is really interesting about Gaubicy lejtenanta Guruby, is its capacity to keep the maniac energy focused while delivery an enjoyable diverse collection of songs, it might not be a strict Letov record, but the context definitely helps him get fixated on intensity all over, bringing us outstanding punk numbers like Gusar i Verka Zozulya or the noise complete freak out of Urbanizm determinizm.

A record that perfectly captures the tense and turbulent environment  of the chaotic early 90s,with the end of communism and Russia entering a new chapter of its history, the end of a convoluted era, and the beginning of another convoluted one.