by David Wilikofsky
Music is universal. No matter what language you’re singing in, the best music transcends linguistic boundaries. Such is the case with ВЕЩЬ’s music. The group hails from Ivanovo, Russia, and that’s about all the background I have on them; I literally can’t find any English language press about them. Luckily, the other thing I know is that their newest album, Mechanical Sounds for Rhythmic Expression, is one of the most wonderfully bizarre sets of skewed pop music I’ve heard this year.
The best place to start is the music videos for the album’s lead singles, “Это не Евгений” and “Отдыхай отсюда”. Both are absolutely bonkers, like an episode of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse on acid. Menacing mannequins point guns in your face. Play-doh figurines make out, only to melt into each other and reform. Plants eat bugs. Men that look like they belong in a Picasso painting play the trumpet. It’s a Dada nightmare come to life, irreverent and artistic and totally engaging.
It’s an appropriate visual representation of the band’s music. ВЕЩЬ’s music comes from an alternate reality where artists like Miharu Koshi and Jun Togawa became international stars and brought their slightly skewed vision of pop to the masses. This is technicolor pop music with an unmistakable air of theatricality; synthesizer squiggles, omnipresent horn lines and emotive vocals all contribute. Unfortunately I can’t understand any of the lyrics (it’s all in Russian) but even so the vocals paint a clear picture whether they soar or creep over the instrumentals. The group covers a lot of stylistic territory, from the faux-lounge slink of “Ритмическая гимнастика” to the hyperactive “Это не Евгений” to the lusher, more atmospheric sound of closer “Финансист”. All in all, it’s an incredible journey through the twisted mind of ВЕЩЬ.
I can only imagine what happens when this group performs. According to Jenya Gorbunov, the head of their label Incompetence Records, the group “is a combination band and theatrical troupe, whose shows are full of narration and drama”. I’m sure they’re incredible. Maybe some day they’ll play to the US or I’ll make my way to Russia, but until then this album is a document of a group at the height of their powers.