Oppositional Russian Music

Like any country Russia has its own pop music that is favored and endorsed by establishment and in theory popular with majority. Names like Alla Pugacheva come to mind. 

However, I am not pro-Putin and most music I listen are non-mainstream, anti-establishment or oppositional. Both Russian and English language. 

Sting, Chris de Burgh, Chris Rea, Blackmore's Nights or Loreena McKennit is not per se oppositional, but neither they are mainstream. These artists look at the world from a different angle and enjoyed by people more sophisticated than average.

There are similar bands in Russia. I already wrote a separate article about band Kino and Victor Tsoi. Tsoi died in 1989, and his band is inactive since, but he remains very popular with general public. His songs are very melancholic and reflect sadness of life in Russia. There are more here but somewhat hard to navigate.

Something more sophisticated that I personally like is Aquarium. Their songs sound nonsensical at first but they are actually full of references and tell a complicated and compelling story albeit in a very cryptic way. However, language they use is hard to understand even for someone very knowledgeable in all the songs, books and cultural ideas they so extensively reference in their songs.

Each song probably has to be explained in detail, but here are few examples:

For something more accessible is Sector Gaza. Unlike Aquarium Sector Gaza uses words that are easy to understand. So easy that it produced a push back and desire to ban it from a more moralistic section of society. It can be considered Russian AC/DC of sorts. If they managed to become as popular as Kino and Tsoi they would probably create as much controversy and shockwaves as Donald Trump.

Despite extensive obscenity of many of their songs for which they are known, they make songs that many can relate to and enjoy. These songs reflect reality of life in Russia for a significant section of society.

There are some explicit anti-Putin and anti-system songs, for example Anthem of the Doomed that mocks government and its supporters by calling them orcs and their leaders' ghouls. Half of the lines of this song probably needs additional clarification for its actual meaning. For Aquarium mentioned above every single line need explanation.

I will end this article with Aria. Unlike the other two, Aria is more wishful and instead of reflecting reality writes long, descriptive and poetic songs often about unfulfilled dreams and aspirations. They have wonderful guitar solos and unique sound.

And probably the best of them:

One thing that unites all these bands is the profound sadness at the fact that life is not as good as they all wish it was. They all shift between criticizing reality as it is and dreaming of a better life somewhere out there. Even the otherwise very obscene Khoy from Sector Gaza is like that.