CD review - Mumiy Troll, Comrade Ambassador

Mumiy Troll, identified as Russia's biggest rock band, is hitting it big in America. After a successful tour earlier this year, they're preparing for North American tour from coast to coast, including Canada and Mexico. Their formula for success is centered around building grassroots support by sharing their music and their ability to harness the internet and social sites. Their current album, Comrade Ambassador, was just released in America. It's a collection of songs from their last two albums, plus an extra track. All of the songs are in Russian, although there's been a mention of a new digital EP with their first English track. If your Russian isn't up for the task of translation, you can find lyrical translations at sites like russmus.net, although that's not necessary to appreciate their sound. Reading the translations while I listened, I'm not sure whether the original lyrics are this poetic or whether that's an accident of the translation. I'm guessing it's the former case.

Mumiy Troll comes out of Vladivostok, which actually places them outside the more mainstream Moscow and Saint Petersburg rock scenes. Despite being new to us, they got their start back in 1983, although their first real album didn't come out until 1997. They've had plenty of time to develop a unique sound: largely retro rock, with more modern dance/club/progressive influences. Overall, they remind me a lot of the Dutch band, Gruppo Sportivo, which shares their retro rock vibe and mild pop appreciation, but there are bits of other groups like My Morning Jacket, the Clash, Die Toten Hosen, Blondie, and David Bowie in the mix. As a rule, the guitars are thick with reverb, the drums are crisp, the bass is warm, keyboards provide some good synth sounds, and the vocals are also fairly reverb laden as well.

Comrade Ambassador is fairly dynamic, shifting mood from the Roy Orbison guitars and weary vocals of Mothers and Daughters to the dance drive of Nuclear Stations to the more modern pop sound of Witnesses. While there are no bad songs here, there are a couple of particularly cool tracks.

We Overslept encapsulates the dynamic range of the whole album. The music lays out a loose, simple funk, with a weedy keyboard underneath. Fuzzy guitar and a pop bass line alternate between driving and dropping out to leave room for the starting piano riff. The lyrics first seem to bemoan the missed opportunities of a generation, then reject the whole thing. It's a fun song that gets a lot more interesting when it hits the bridge. Then a Brian May style guitar leads through a melodic section, changing the mood to a more retro pop. After returning to a looser version of the start, the song ends abruptly.

Queen of Rock is a big rocker that starts with a Led Zeppelin intro riff. A busy bass line covers the top of a punchy AC/DC rhythm. The chorus reminds me of Soundgarden. The bridge/solo pulls in some wailing guitar feedback that provides the perfect topping.

Relying on the translation, Snowstorm is by far my favorite set of lyrics:

Snowstorm.
I want the impossible.
Boiling.
I’m overflowing - but stay quiet.
Got swept up.
There’s frost on my waterless lips,
And in my eyes – obsession!
“Watch out…!” “I will!… “ I want the impossible

"I want the impossible." The initial riff sells the lyric. The vocal delivery is laid back enough to contrast with the intensity of these words. The staccato guitars are heavily echoed, the bass wanders loosely, and the guitar runs through some interesting ascending riffs. Taken together, it's a bit like Blondie meets the Police.

The album closes with a Russian version of California Dreamin' by the Mamas and the Papas. Mumiy Troll's version is a bit harder edged and crunchy than the original. The synth pop underneath updates the sound and the electric guitar fills are smooth and satisfying. As it fades out on accordion and a synth beat, it's been an interesting trip. Rock and roll may have started here in the west, but Mumiy Troll has taken a wide world of influences and made their own kind of rock.

Go to their MySpace page and give them a listen. Then, go out and see them when they come through this fall (I'll be catching them in Denver this October). Instead of vodka, I'll suggest a Belgian dubbel as a better match for the music: rich, sweet, but not too easy.