Vulgargrad - King of Crooks (Album)
» Vulgargrad launch shows - March 27, 2009
I am a big fan of anything remotely Russian (I have a bit of a crush on Mr. Putin and I regularly watch the Russian news on SBS even though I never understand a word) so I was more than happy to hear the over-the-top Russian sounds of Melbourne band Vulgargrad. Bringing the sounds of the Russian criminal underground, King of Crooks is a ferocious 16-track offering which should be all over the radio, not tucked away in the World Music section.
This infectious music is explained by the band to be songs of Russian criminal culture throughout the twentieth century – their interpretations of famous songs from musical comedies to old thieves’ songs to modern classics. Bring out the vodka, you won’t be able to resist drinking and dancing as this record plays. Vulgargrad is made up of a balalaika, an accordion, a trumpet and a trombone, alongside the usual drums, acoustic guitar and occasional electric guitar. It might surprise some to hear that the gritty, Eastern Bloc vocals are actually provided by a well-known Australian face – actor Jacek Koman.
They’ve infiltrated Australian cultural life, having performed at almost every major venue across the country and been spotted here and there on TV. It seems almost impossible that a bunch of Australian musicians playing distinctly Russian music and celebrating criminal culture could gain accolades, but the irresistible nature of the music is to blame for that. It could be my Eastern European upbringing, but I go crazy for the sounds of a balalaika and accordion, and considering the worldwide fame composers such as Emir Kusturica and Goran Bregovic have received, it’s safe to assume that you don’t have to be from glorious Eastern Europe to appreciate the sounds of gypsy influences and delightful decadence. It conjures up great images of dancing on tables with a bottle in hand as the music progressively speeds up and the room begins to spin. You don’t have to understand a word of Russian to enjoy this.
The wonderful vocal abilities of Koman are enough to translate any story straight to your heart, and you’ll be so busy dancing you won’t care about what the lyrics mean (for future reference, the inside sleeve of the CD tells us that the songs include such lines as “we’ve had neither food nor sleep, but as long as there’s enough to drink...” and “somebody’s dropped dead on tram No. 10 and they’re trying to haul the corpse out. ‘Hey, let go! I’m not dead – just drunk’”).
King of Crooks is certainly something a little different to add to your music collection and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s cultural education from the underground!
