Blue Suede News.CD Reveiw

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE!

Blue Suede News. CD Reveiw
Gagarin Brothers / Twist Behind The Iron Curtain

I like variety and after reviewing a couple of Rockabilly albums I was ready for this - a Russian quintet! The Gagarin Brothers' music is a wildly entertaining mix of Rockabilly slap bass, 60s music from the instro rock of the Ventures and swinging bands my parents danced to, crooner type and jazzy material - all the while incorporating a hefty dose of Russian, Jewish and Eastern European music including Gypsy Jazz. While the 14 titles printed on the CD insert are in English, the Gagarin Brothers exclusively sing in Russian (and that's probably a good choice!). Alexei Cekatskii is an exceptionally good vocalist with an almost operatic voice, prominently standing out in the excellent mix of guitar, upright bass, drums and accordion - all skillfully mastered. The sound is perfect, too! Bassist Dmitry Ilyin can slap with the best of them all the while being very tasteful when it comes to the jazzier offerings. Gitarrist Alexei Andreev is in a class by himself, too. Extra hot is the dynamic opener "International Panorama" with space-age effects. Check out the Tango of "Beauty Queen", the hoppin' "Last Train", the cool "Twilight" and "Road Shuffle", the slap-heavy Bill Haley style "Sea Devil" and the Neo-Swing of Black Cat". This is just a really fun and groovy album in a 60s spirit and while it's not a Twist album per se, the Gagarin Brothers (named after the famed astronaut) twist mend and bend genres to their full advantage. -GMB
-Marc Bristol www.bluesuedenews.com



CD relising 9 may
Raumer Records in Berlin
www.raumer-records.de

Gagarin Brothers (RUS)
www.gagarinbrothers.ru
www.myspace.com/gagarinbrothers
https://www.youtube.com/user/gagarinbros