Russkaja - Peace, Love & Russian Roll

Share this on Facebook | Share this on Twitter

Trumpets blaring, guitars wailing, and drums pounding, RUSSKAJA’s new album, “Peace, Love & Russian Roll” is a heady mix of punk, ska, Balkan music and rock n roll which forms what the band call “Turbo Polka”.

First track “Rock n Roll Today” is a mixture of all the above genres, opening with an uplifting salvo of brass which then brakes into a ska punk riff, ending with a section which borrows more from traditional rock n roll styles.

With vocals in a mixture of Austrian and English, this collective of musicians showcase a wide variety of styles and talents, “There Was a Time” is a calmer number with backings taking more inspiration from Germanic oom-pah bands, and “El Pueblo Unido” which opens as an acoustic singer-songwriter-esque track, before the rest of the group kicks in with more mariachi inspired trumpet lines, before climaxing with more symphonic textures.

The music has a full range on emotional content, with many of the tracks being light hearted and upbeat, through to the much more melancholic “Let’s Die Together (Mon Amour)” which is more mournful and has a tango feel. “Salty Rain” also shows off this more downbeat element, with a haunting trumpet melody.

The energy and attitude picks up once more though with the more politically charged frustration evident in “You are the Revolution” which returns to the high speed ska and punk evident at the start of the album. RUSSKAJA keep their sense of humour going with the relaxed and bouncy “Radio Song” showing off the full gamut of their inspiration and style.

This album is varied, with plenty of bounce and heaviness, as well as a lot of humour in their different guises. “Peace, Love & Russian Roll” is well crafted and has plenty to get you up on your feet and dancing along!