DURNOE VLIYANIE - "NEPODVIZHNOST'" (rec. 1989, rel. 2003)

Original band's name: Дурное Влияние
Original title: Неподвижность

Not all Russian new wave bands were as lucky as Kino or Nautilus Pompilius, that after a few years in the underground were accepted by the government bodies, and allowed to release records on Melodiya, the only official label during the Soviet era.

Most of the bands remained in the underground, self-releasing their albums on cassette and magnetic tapes. Durnoe Vliyanie were even more ill-fated: they recorded material for no less than two albums between 1987 and 1991, never releasing anything before 2003, when "Nepodvizhnost'" finally came out on the small label Karma Mira.

Recorded in 1989, it was intended to be their first album. For obvious reasons, the production is anything but brilliant (the last track in particular is ruined by a weak sound quality), but you can find some beautiful songs, dark and emotional. Some moments are reminiscent of British goth-rock, with chorused and distorted guitars, gloomy vocals and big basslines (i.e. the groove of the title-track). 

Even if they gained a loyal cult, expecially in their native Saint Petersburg, Durnoe Vliyanie are still an overlooked band. They reunited in 2011, with three of the original members: Dmitry Petrov (bass), Igor Mosin (drums), and Aleksandr Skvortsov (vocals).

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 290-314)