Characteristics and figures in Russian post-punk (conceptual/ contextual)

What is post-punk?

Article on post-punk in Russia

The modern post punk scene in Russia is also a very interesting area to research into, as it has been labelled as 'booming' in reviews and articles; many current artists take inspiration from 1980's Russia, and have a melancholic and nostalgic sound reminiscent of this Soviet post punk sound.

Reviews

Fast paced and aggressive instrumentals seem to be a strong focal point within Russian post punk, which shares the ideologies of rebellion in Soviet post punk. This review for 'things I don't need' by Human Tetris features complicated drums which are juxtaposed with monotone and minimal vocals; this in itself reflects the new and refreshing changes to punk that post punk offers, as well as providing an interesting contrast between the harsh and soft that I could visualise in my outcomes? 

This review also elaborates on the juxtaposition between fast paced instrumentals and slow vocals of Russian post punk, within the track 'ghost' by Motorama

Characteristics of the Russian post-punk sound

• Melancholy
• lofi
• Softer than Punk
• Fast paced instrumentals; juxtaposition with the vocals 
• Minimal lyrics 

Russian post-punk bands

Molchat Doma

Molchat Doma are a relatively new post punk band based in Minsk; I found the meaning of their name quite interesting, as it has quite a haunting/ melancholic atmosphere to it. I definitely want to address this tone within the visuals of the album cover, as it needs to communicate the atmosphere of the genre visually.

Interviews/articles

I found this interview really interesting as the moody nature of the genre is shared in the bands' tone of voice; they come across very melancholic and somewhat angry? The weather/ environment of Minsk is also a key element to their sound, being a very grey and miserable environment; as well as this, the topic of the Chernobyl disaster is quite interesting, as it links to their name of 'houses are silent', indicating an area effected by the corruption of the Soviets.

Lyrics

I thought I'd look at the lyrics of some of Molchat Doma's songs as it could give me an insight to the mood/ tone of their music; below is a section of translation that highlights the melancholic atmosphere of their song 'longing', which has a somewhat self destructive nature.

Album covers

A key thing that I found really cool in my research into Molchat Doma was their existing album covers, which feature concrete buildings and brutalism which fit the harshness of their instrumentals; I thought that this could be an interesting thing to consider, as I feel like the visuals of concrete buildings fit the mood of post punk, with a very dull colour palette and rigid forms.

Buerak

Reviews

This review of Bueraks' 'ginger root' discusses the harsh, punchy sound of the bands' music, as well as the general industrial drumming sound of the post punk genre; this fits even better with the initial concept of using urban landscapes to set the mood for the genre, as it links to the harshness of brutalist architecture.

Lyrics

The lyrics of Buerak also share this melancholic atmosphere, yet have undertones more similar to traditional punk, with some lyrics having an aggressive tone through shouting. Yet again, this highlights a juxtaposition between harsh and soft sounds, which mirrors a conflict within artists in the post punk scene. 

Album covers

From looking at Bueraks' past covers, I feel like they don't really fit the tone of their music? There are some elements like the blackletter type that seem quite cliche for the genre, and the photography seems very lofi and quickly put together. In a sense, it adds a nice handmade nature to the covers, but the overall aesthetics lack a certain angst and moodiness that I'd associate with Russian Post punk. For my own cover design, I could improve on these past album covers, and manipulate visuals to fit Bueraks' sound more through conveying their melancholic nature better.