Rock music from the socialist European countries and their successors. Comments are welcome. Please tell me when you find an expired link! :)
UPDATE October 2, 2021: I decided to revive Soviet Sam after a long hiatus. I also fixed most of the links, but maybe there are still some inactive ones.
Kortez is a Polish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In 2013 he tried to enter a talent show, but he was discarded during the auditions. Luckily, the chief of Jazzboy Records, Paweł Jóźwicki, noticed him and decided to offer him a contract. "Bumerang" (2015) is his beautiful debut album. It consists of ten ballads recorded with both acoustic and electronic instruments, and ecompassing styles like dreampop and downtempo. Some songs are soft, whilst others indulge in noir atmospheres. "Zostań" is the most popular song on the album, and one of the most important singles of the decade, at least in the Polish alternative scene. On the wake of its success, the album reached no. 2 and as of today it has been in the local charts for 94 weeks. In 2016 an EP called "Minialbum" was also released. It is notable for containing an extended version of "Z imbirem", one of the best songs on "Bumerang".
Robert Brylewski is one of the most important musicians in the history of Polish rock, having been the guitar player and main composer of legendary bands such as Brygada Kryzys, Izrael, and Armia. He founded Armia in December 1984, along with singer Tomasz Budzyński, a former member of Siekiera. Armia are still going today under Budzyński's guidance, whilst Brylewski left them in 1994. "Legenda" is their second album. It was released in 1991, showing a band quite distant from the canonical hardcore punk sound of their eponymous debut. While still classifiable under that style, "Legenda" is one of the most original records of its era. Its riffing is somehow influenced by thrash metal, the symphonic sound of guitars is not far from black metal, and some songs have open structures which remind of progressive rock. While distorted guitars and frantic rhythms dominate the arrangements, here and there you can hear unusual tricks like synthesizer drones, French horn, and acoustic guitars. Budzyński's vocal style is also worth of mention, taking a strong departure from hardcore punk shouting, and choosing a clean, melodic style that makes the tunes catchier, while still being aggressive. Not so popular at the time, "Legenda" is today considered a classic. Often mentioned among the best Polish albums ever, its cult is unexpectedly solid among hardcore punk followers from all over the world.
