Seventy years have passed since the change of epochs and the beginning of the decline of the Soviet Russian Empire. An absurd little man in an embroidered shirt rhythmically taps his shoe on the podium, threatening the overseas bourgeoisie with Kuzka’s mother. Almost sixty years ago, the chief bourgeois was murdered in Dallas. An absurd little man in an embroidered shirt is being removed from his post due to voluntarism and excessive overgrowth of farmland. But Schlep and the voluntarist also managed to make their mark with a fun game called the Caribbean Crisis (a false term that shifts the emphasis from cause to effect), during which US citizens dug bomb shelters for themselves with the agility of prairie dogs. Soviet missiles never hit the hotbed of democracy, but imagine what would have happened IF the creators of the Six-String Samurai and, to a greater extent, the guys from the office with the apocalyptic name Bethesda had helped us, launching a series of Fallout computer games in which retrofuturism wittily died, giving way to a primitive process of survival among super mutants and cannibal gangs.
These creators agree, in addition to their desire to bury the current civilization, on the main point: even over radioactive stubs, rock and roll will sound. Well, country music too. Yes, and swing is easy. And that’s where our old friends Alex come in. & The Dia… no. By his own admission, Alexander, releasing half of the album for the first time, decided to change the name of the accompanying group. That’s how Diamond Hands turned into Rainshots. The sound and craftsmanship, however, have not gone away.
The title of the maximum mini-album, Time Is Nigh / The Time is Coming, sounds ominous in the context of memories of the future of the past. It’s even more joyful to see that bassist Igor Khrennikov and drummer Oleg Svetlov, who played on the previous full-length Flyin’ Up album, haven’t gone anywhere. The leaking of personnel inherent in the capital’s rockabilly bands, although it gives some mobility, obviously kills any development cleaner than radiation. Contrary to the trend, here we have a tightly knit team with a talented leader who knows how to bend his line. It’s time to hear what kind of bomb Alex dropped on us. & The Rainshots, The Moon Dogs!
Waitin’ Here is a big riff that characterizes the sound of the band, rich in aggressive longing. The rhythm section springs like a brand-new sofa. The voice flies around this structure like a loving bumblebee. A lifetime classic worthy of being played on the ruins of another stupid humanity.
Prisoner Of The Time strives to expand the scope of tradition, and successfully copes with the task.: The soft groove serves as a support for the existential text a la the creature I creep or… Beautiful vocal harmony.
Mouse In The Trap crawls out of the blackness of rat holes and the shadows of black-and-white noir films. Retouched rockabilly-flamenco, the song warns: don’t run at the smell of cheese, little mouse.
Angels In Dreams is a gospel song disguised as a ballad. Oleg and Igor sing along well. The sound concept refers to the Blue Moon version of Elvis. God himself ordered a girl or two to dance to this number.
Meetin’ & Greetin’ is probably the key song of the minion. Another riff, but much richer and more disturbing, and the guitar solo is completely outrageous. Alex’s vocals sound like a complete romantic. It was as if a piece of someone’s youth had escaped from the past and flown in here. Such feelings are priceless.
Bonus tracks: The alternative version of Waitin’ Here is actually more powerful than the album version, the drum gives a small fraction in the most brutal way that is necessary in real rockabilly. Why the instrumental version of Mouse In The Trap is needed remains a mystery.
All the songs, as you can see, are apoplectically beautiful. Alex has come up with his own subgenre, in which he is the main shark. And it’s unique. Buddy Holly was like that. Albeit not so melancholic.
Coming out of the bunker after a century, follow the sound of Alex & The Rainshots/Diamond Hands. Maybe there’s no escape, but there’s good music there. Have a good irradiation, Moon Dogs!
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