I got this little ditty running through my head reminds me of that late 70’s/ 80’s seminal and fervent period steeped in DIY culture, spontaneity, rawness and amateurism, whem several all-girl bands started to experiment, both musically and lirically, on new innovative and radical forms of music and artistic expressions.
When I listened to the very young Russian indie/post-punk duo from Saint Petersburg called РИТУАЛЬНЫЕ УСЛУГИ [Funeral Services], comprised of Lyubov Romanenkova (voice and bass) and Maria Blinova (voice and flute), I can’t help but think of the freshness and genuinity of Kleenex/LiLiPUT, Delta 5, Dolly Mixture, even The Raincoats , the same punk attitude, later in the 90′, will inform bands like Huggy Bear, Bratmobile and Bikini Kill.
The songs of their debut album “Турбулентность/Turbulence”, out now on IONOFF Music label, are made up of a minimal guitar-less instrumentation of voice, flute, bass and drum machine, a stripped down sound, but no less intriguing and addictive.
The second track titled “Декабрь/December” is driven by a sharp, melodic yet bleak bass lines and oblique rhythms mingling beautifully with the infectious sinister bittersweet dual vocals and a bewitching flute emphasises the song’s subtle haunting and intense feeling of uneasiness and restlessness, a little compelling gem of off kilter minimalistic pop, it would be a pity it went unnoticed.
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