Best Albums of 2016
as selected by Gleb Vorontsov

10
On-The-Go <BR>“Origins”

On-The-Go
“Origins”

On-The-Go invites you to fascinating journey across the history of Russian pop. They’re one of the oldest and the biggest band in the Russian indie-scene. So, their new album is a massive thing apriori. But as always, their sound transforms again.

It varies between synth-pop, lo-fi blues and indie-folk. And you absolutely have to listen to the stunning and charming voice of Yura Makarychev – over a few years he’s become a world-class singer.

♪♫ Listen: “In The Morning” + album stream (Spotify)

On-The-Go on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, YouTube.

9
Quok <BR>“Traveller”

Quok
“Traveller”

The second album of a sixteen-year-old producer Quok (куок), “Traveller” represents a thoughtful look back in time and diving into the sensitive palette of musical impressions.

Among his favorite producers Quok mentions such artists as Amon Tobin, Floex and Clark. He successfully balances different styles of atmospheric electronic: gloomy post-dubstep, acoustically saturated downtempo, cinematic drama and melancholic jazz.

♪♫ Listen: “Careless Kid” + album stream (Bandcamp)

Quok on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook.

8
Padla Bear Outfit <BR>“No Star Horoscope”

Padla Bear Outfit
“No Star Horoscope”

The leading band of the Russian lo-fi scene released their previous album in 2011. After 5 years of silence, they brought three new albums in 2016 and “no star horoscope” is the best one. Labeled as geek-pop or in a more traditional manner antifolk, messy music of Padla Bear Outfit is outside of any clear categories.

♪♫ Listen: “Мессия” + album stream (Bandcamp)

Padla Bear Outfit on Facebook, Bandcamp, Soundcloud.

7
Ne Tvoe Delo <BR>“Best Hits”

Ne Tvoe Delo
“Best Hits”

Ne Tvoe Delo (Не Твое Дело) appeared last year when they uploaded two rather unexpected clips on YouTube, where a woman performs in a small cafe in the middle of nowhere. The performer pretty soon was recognized as Ayrapetova Anya, former artist of Manicure band.

But the rest of the band was hidden for a while — it turned out that they are ex-Manicure members as well: Jora Kushnarenko and Ildar Iksanov, both also from Trud. Together they perform nostalgic Russian pop with techno influences.

♪♫ Listen: “Я буду рядом” + album stream (Soundcloud)

Ne Tvoe Delo on Soundcloud, Facebook, Instagram.

6
СБПЧ <BR>“My – ogromnoye zhivotnoye…”

СБПЧ
“My – ogromnoye zhivotnoye…”

New album from СБПЧ (SBP4), “Мы – огромное животное, и мы вас всех съедим!”, is still full of funny, ironic and sad songs about love, friendship and loneliness. Musicians themselves say the album is perfect for disco for parents with their kids.

♪♫ Listen: “Luba” + album stream (Spotify)

СБПЧ on Facebook, YouTube.

5
Buerak <BR>“Tantsy po Raschyotu”

Buerak
“Tantsy po Raschyotu”

On “Tantsy po Raschyotu” (Танцы По Расчёту), Sibirian duo Buerak (Буерак) play simple and honest music — melodic post-punk that would sound appropriate both in Manchester at the disco in the 80s and at the underground gig in any Leningrad House of Culture in the ’90s.

♪♫ Listen: “Кожанные туфли” + album stream (Soundcloud)

Buerak on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Facebook.

4
Motorama <BR>“Dialogues”

Motorama
“Dialogues”

Since their first self-produced album “Horse” in 2008, Motorama have gone their own melodious seamless way, carving out a niche in the musical landscape. On “Dialogues”, addictive pop floats on a raft of wondrous melancholy, breathtaking lyricism, clever keyboards and a muffled but dancing bass. Let’s go exploring.

♪♫ Listen: “Tell me” + album stream (Bandcamp)

Motorama on Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, www + beehype.

3
Mujuice <BR>“Amore e Morte”

Mujuice
“Amore e Morte”

Roman Litvinov aka Mujuice used to create and perform mostly techno and instrumental music. But “Amore e Morte”, an album full of songs with lyrics, is absolutely different. 10 tracks dedicated to love and death.

♪♫ Listen: “Zemfira” + album stream (Spotify)

Mujuice on Soundcloud, Facebook, www.

2
Parks, Squares and Alleys <BR>“Parasites”

Parks, Squares and Alleys
“Parasites”

The soft warning begins as a seemingly flawless track skips and hops across your brain. The abrupt exclamation of Sergey Khavro’s lyrics ignites into the up-tempo sound coming from your speakers as he sings. My personal favorite young band, they remind me of the best tracks of Ariel Pink.

♪♫ Listen: “Parasites” + album stream (Spotify)

Parks, Squares and Alleys on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter + beehype.

1
Pinkshinyultrablast <BR>“Grandfeathered”

Pinkshinyultrablast
“Grandfeathered”

The second album after successful debut release. The most anticipated and well known independent band in Europe. I would like to quote a Pitchfork review:

“Pinkshinyultrablast are rooted in shoegaze while maintaining a basis in electronic noise. The effect is like getting showered with a firehose pumping spangly glitter.”

♪♫ Listen: “The Cherry Pit” + album stream (Spotify)

Pinkshinyultrablast on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram + beehype.