Poisk Seti: Big Bad Sharks… and Emoticons
“Poisk
seti” are a young Moscow foursome who have just published a free EP entitled
“Study As You Should!” (Uchites’ kak nado!”) - hence the grumpy schoolgirl on
the front cover. The seven-track, twenty-minute recording is available for free
downloading, primarily through the Mimonot netlabel.
The band’s name is
rather tricky to translate into English without sounding clunky; “Web Search”
would appear to be a reasonable option - in the sense of seeking a wireless
signal, for example. The band themselves offer no help here; although they are
well-represented on all the social networking sites, and have a good selection
of (rough-sounding) video clips on YouTube, in essence the same small
Russian-language promo text is all that’s on offer.
The group declare
themselves the product of “the new wave of British rock that swept across the
world in 2007… We play memorable melodies with loads of energy. The kind of
rhythmic patterns that’ll get you dancing! In international music charts, bands
like The Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, and The Hives occupy the top spots.”
Poisk seti declare themselves worthy of playing the same role - with the same
style - in Russia.
Confidence is clearly not a problem. Even when it comes to
recent dental work.
Despite this clear-cut, happy-go-lucky introduction,
things start sounding strange: “Just like the inhabitants of the ocean’s depths,
Poisk seti swim in the ocean of music. The band is like a coldblooded shark in
search of its prey. That’s why we move smoothly from melancholic, lyrical rock
to songs with a lot more drive. These kind of changes happen easily for us; just
like smiling emoticons change smoothly into tears - and back again - when
they’re sent all around the web.”
A general air of confusion descends slowly
over the proceedings.
And then we notice the band’s new logo, shown below on
a poster from a few days ago. With its depiction of a shark ensnared in fishing
nets, it’s clear that the group’s name - although commonly used with regard to
the internet - now contains maritime connotations, too (the word “set’” in
Russian covers both meanings).
A slightly easier pun might be advisable
before world domination begins.
In the meanwhile, The Arctic Monkeys
parallels are more than justified.
And who wouldn’t want to look like a pale
and skinny northerner?
Copyright © 2008 Far From Moscow
http://www.moscow.ucla.edu/?m=20090103