Архангельск / ARKHANGELSK

My first contact with "Aquarium" and Boris Grebenshicov was about 1989 in Hamburg, Germany, when a Russian tenant named Alexander and his wife Svetlana - both of them multilingual interpreters - settled in the flat next to mine. He asked me if I new Russian musicians, especially Boris G. and he intrduced me to an album that I don't remember now. But the music was best labeled as Russian folk rock. 23 years later and 19 years after I left Hamburg I read st about Grebenshicov in the internet and I thought it must be nice to listen to his music again. So I bought this 2011 album "Archangelsk". I learned that Archangelsk is a town in northern russia. As I don't understand the russian language and I cannot read Cyrillic letters I have not the slightest idea about the meaning of the lyrics. Whatever, the music is slightly different from what I remember of the eighties. It's harder, melodic, and with rough rythms with much use of a flute and a violin. Sometimes it reminds me on the Waterboys. But the style is unique. So order the album and let yourself be surprised. NB: my CD has 8 Bonus-Tracks.