HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE OMFG GURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRL I AM DYING OVER HERE
it's like, seeing someone else fangirl Zemfira, all my squee is intensified by a billion
OK SO THINGS TO ADD:
1. She's been with Renata Letvinova for AGES and they live together in a swanky apartment in Moscow.
2. Zemfira's music marks a not only a return to the early history of Russia rock when music was based in dissent LOLOL ER, NO. On the contrary, Zemfira is part of a LONG, LONG tradition of indie rock music based in dissent but she AMAZING thing about her was that she was able to be taken seriously on that scene by writing her own songs and music and performing indie instead of trying to be mainstream and EVEN THEN she faced a lot of "yeah she's nice but whatever" from guys for "not being rock enough" or not being political enough or being too concerned with her looks or HOWEVER ELSE THEY WANTED TO CALL "BEING A GIRL" THAT DAY. And in fact while she IS the voice of a generation she was also adopted into the mainstream in a way that many other acts were not - probably one the VERY VERY FEW indie rock acts that got the "estrada" (Russian mainstream music industry, a closed arena with its own rules) attention that she did.
3. you managed to pick ALL THE SONGS OF HERS that were not particularly popular/not my favorites (except Pochemu which is ICONIC) ahahaha so I shall indulge in some linking (DW doesn't have video embedding in comments, right?)
* "AIDS" (Russian: "Spid") - from her first album, the song is basically well, about being with a partner who has AIDS and living with the disease/having fun/facing the possibility of them dying and/or you getting infected. The chorus is her yelling "BUT YOU'VE GOT AIDS, WHICH MEANS WE'RE GONNA DIE" in this sort of cheerful, resigned, subversive way over and over and we used to blast that shit SO HARD whenever it came on the radio in junior high. ICONIC, ICONIC SONG. Our parents always used to switch stations when it came on the radio.
* "London" - this is a song that's only been recorded live and that's the recording that went on the album, the lyrics are PAINFULLY BEAUTIFUL but since 90% of her stuff isn't translated (and would be hard to translate because she writes associative poetry basically) I think this song is still awesome for actually hearing what her voice sounds like live. IT IS AMAZING. (One of the main differences between indie and mainstream music in Russia is that the mainstream is a place where people rarely if ever sing live, whereas rockers refuse to do anything but. Actually being able to sing your songs is not a given and is definitely something that establishes your "cred" and sets you apart on the music scene.)
* "Ariveredci" - possibly her MOST FAMOUS AND ICONIC SONG EVER, her first hit that starts with the words "Woken up by Moscow crows/ wet matches killed my hopes" I think I still know all of it by heart. INCREDIBLY FUN TO SING ALONG TO.
* "Forgive Me My Love" - commonly abbreviated to FMML, the name of her second album. Also gorgeous, gorgeous song that was a huge hit (I'm so sad I can't share her lyrics with people, the beauty of her songs is often in the juxtaposition of the music and lyrics).
* "Boy" (Russian: "Malchik") - song I once linked you to. This is a GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS love performance that even if you don't speak Russian and know nothing about her I think people will love. The music is just so intense and awesome. The lyrics are basically "that's right boy, go ahead, make your music, sell out, feel like a man, we'll see what's left of you" and in my head it's a kind of fuck you to all the assholes who ragged on her for not being indie enough while dying to have her kind of success (not that she, in popular perception at least, ever "sold out").
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2011-02-20 08:27 pm (UTC)it's like, seeing someone else fangirl Zemfira, all my squee is intensified by a billion
OK SO THINGS TO ADD:
1. She's been with Renata Letvinova for AGES and they live together in a swanky apartment in Moscow.
2. Zemfira's music marks a not only a return to the early history of Russia rock when music was based in dissent LOLOL ER, NO. On the contrary, Zemfira is part of a LONG, LONG tradition of indie rock music based in dissent but she AMAZING thing about her was that she was able to be taken seriously on that scene by writing her own songs and music and performing indie instead of trying to be mainstream and EVEN THEN she faced a lot of "yeah she's nice but whatever" from guys for "not being rock enough" or not being political enough or being too concerned with her looks or HOWEVER ELSE THEY WANTED TO CALL "BEING A GIRL" THAT DAY. And in fact while she IS the voice of a generation she was also adopted into the mainstream in a way that many other acts were not - probably one the VERY VERY FEW indie rock acts that got the "estrada" (Russian mainstream music industry, a closed arena with its own rules) attention that she did.
3. you managed to pick ALL THE SONGS OF HERS that were not particularly popular/not my favorites (except Pochemu which is ICONIC) ahahaha so I shall indulge in some linking (DW doesn't have video embedding in comments, right?)
* "AIDS" (Russian: "Spid") - from her first album, the song is basically well, about being with a partner who has AIDS and living with the disease/having fun/facing the possibility of them dying and/or you getting infected. The chorus is her yelling "BUT YOU'VE GOT AIDS, WHICH MEANS WE'RE GONNA DIE" in this sort of cheerful, resigned, subversive way over and over and we used to blast that shit SO HARD whenever it came on the radio in junior high. ICONIC, ICONIC SONG. Our parents always used to switch stations when it came on the radio.
* "London" - this is a song that's only been recorded live and that's the recording that went on the album, the lyrics are PAINFULLY BEAUTIFUL but since 90% of her stuff isn't translated (and would be hard to translate because she writes associative poetry basically) I think this song is still awesome for actually hearing what her voice sounds like live. IT IS AMAZING. (One of the main differences between indie and mainstream music in Russia is that the mainstream is a place where people rarely if ever sing live, whereas rockers refuse to do anything but. Actually being able to sing your songs is not a given and is definitely something that establishes your "cred" and sets you apart on the music scene.)
* "Ariveredci" - possibly her MOST FAMOUS AND ICONIC SONG EVER, her first hit that starts with the words "Woken up by Moscow crows/ wet matches killed my hopes" I think I still know all of it by heart. INCREDIBLY FUN TO SING ALONG TO.
* "Forgive Me My Love" - commonly abbreviated to FMML, the name of her second album. Also gorgeous, gorgeous song that was a huge hit (I'm so sad I can't share her lyrics with people, the beauty of her songs is often in the juxtaposition of the music and lyrics).
* More modern stuff, "A Walk" (Russian: "Progulka") - LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH *_*
* "Boy" (Russian: "Malchik") - song I once linked you to. This is a GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS love performance that even if you don't speak Russian and know nothing about her I think people will love. The music is just so intense and awesome. The lyrics are basically "that's right boy, go ahead, make your music, sell out, feel like a man, we'll see what's left of you" and in my head it's a kind of fuck you to all the assholes who ragged on her for not being indie enough while dying to have her kind of success (not that she, in popular perception at least, ever "sold out").
* Her singing a live cover version of "Creep" :) It's not really amazing but it's in English so IDK I figured I'd link.
ANYWAY, THOSE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE SONGS SHE'S RECORDED/HAVE BEEN HUGE, GIANT HITS OVER THE YEARS.