AWmusic

Ok, so this is a little off the beaten track but I just had to write about a band from Russia called PoZitive Orchestra. Now there really isn’t much information about this band, and certainly nothing written in English with the exception of a brief review from Fong Songs, but as far as I can glean from their website they were formed by friends, Evegny Krjuchkov and Cyril Kuharenko. Apparently they indulged in an evening of drinking and came up with the idea of combining a classical string quartet with latin/gypsy rhythms and then throwing that mix at some cover songs and see what sticks. What stuck is a truly remarkable album of some 15 songs from Dire Straits to Cole Porter to Pink Floyd. This is probably the best collection of cover songs I’ve heard in quite some time, possibly ever.

In actual fact, I’m not sure I would classify these as “cover” songs because many have as little resemblance to the original as can be. They are fearless when it comes to changing the structure of the original, altering the rhythm and adding string arrangements and latin flare with wanton disregard until the end result is almost unrecognizable. Fragile (Sting) has a Russian-gypsy flavour that is truly marvellous! Help (The Beatles) sounds like Sergio Mendez & Brazil 66 got hold of it and mixed it up with some fuzzy vocals. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pink Floyd) is done to a turn with a tango beat and 40′s like vocals. Absolutely brilliant! (no pun intended) Venus, by The Shocking Blue, is another song taken on a trip down tango lane but this time with cellos and violins front and centre and a Burt Bacharach-style vocal. Speaking of vocals, Evegny has a really good one, nice and strong that can carry an amazing amount of variety in tone and style. The other musicians are equally talented and I wish I could name them but everything on their site is in Russian and my translator isn’t particularly helpful. From what I could gather, they were mostly enlisted from a symphony orchestra that Cyril plays in.

The Girl From Ipanema (Antonio Carlos Jobim) smoothly sails into a Stan Getz-like violin solo and a cello solo that is as unexpected as it is wondrous. It keeps the bossa-nova flavour but with a definite cheekiness that never crosses the line into over-the-top camp the way someone like Richard Cheese does. The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie) sounds like Nirvana if Nirvana came from Latin America and joined Gogol Bordello. There is a gypsy-flair to this salsa tune that is interesting to me since my ancestors were Roma and the added flamenco tinge is as inspiring as it is inspired.

These songs trip from tango to bossa-nova to samba with ease and with the vocals changing with every song this collection should keep everyone happy. It is a trippy mix of styles that are done with tongue firmly planted in cheek but without being disrespectful to the original. I’m absolutely sure that Freddy Mercury would be tickled to hear PoZitive Orchestra’s take on The Show Must Go On. It becomes a sultry, latin song under the deft arrangement from these Russian musicians. In fact, it’s hard to believe that such a sweltering rhythm could come from a country better known for it’s cold and vodka than for palm trees and warm waters. I had to check the lyrics to be sure it was the song by Queen. And you really ought to hear what they did to Led Zeppelin! I will never be able to listen to Black Dog the same way again. Not many bands would have the guts to do what they did and add Hava Nagila to a Zeppelin song. And if anyone has a copy of their cover of Michael Jackson’s Bad or Deep Purple’s Smoke On The Water, I would love to hear from you.

Sadly, I haven’t been able to locate a copy of the whole album but you can go here and pick up some free mp3′s. If you are a subscriber, you can listen to the whole thing on Last.FM. If you are wondering why I would write a review about an album that is extremely hard to get, it is because they deserve a wider audience and if more people are aware of them, or any small band, and demand their music it will only be good for everyone concerned.

PoZitive Orchestra – Venus
PoZitive Orchestra – Black Dog
PoZitive Orchestra – The Girl From Ipanema

Tags: album