Soviet Twink-Pop - by Grant Wyeth
One of the great advantages of living in a world of everything everywhere all at once, is that we have access not only to music from eras we may not have known, but also from worlds we never knew.
During the Cold War the lack of cultural exchange between Eastern Bloc and the West went both ways. While this may have been enforced isolation within the Soviet Union and its satellites, it was more a case of disinterest in the West. And with this disinterest we missed out on some real gems.
This song by Владимир Пресняков (Vladimir Presnyakov) – Рыжий кот (Ginger Cat) – is one such gem. Built around an incredible synth line and an upbeat tempo. It is an amazing song about a cat. The video has a series of utterly perplexing video editing choices, but that is part of its charm.
Presnyakov’s dance move indicate that there were some leaks through the iron curtain which enabled some cultural innovations from the United States to seep in. And while Presnyakov, as what we can affectionately designate a twink, may not have been endorsed by the state as the ideal Soviet Man, he was able to find the space to record at least two incredible songs.
Even better than Ginger Cat is Разноцветный город (Colourful City), an ode to St Petersburg, and a song that is utterly joyful and never fails me please me. Listening to this while walking will put an extra bounce in your step (you can find it here on Spotify).
It also has an incredible saxophone solo. Which all good songs should.
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