april 2022 – good to hear

Tiny Desk Concert
DakhaBraka
“People always ask me, ‘What’s your favourite Tiny Desk Concert?’ Well, right now it’s the one recently performed by DakhaBrakha. The creative quartet from Kiev, Ukraine make music that sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard, with strands of everything I’ve ever heard. There are rhythms that sound West African and drone that feels as if it could have emanated from India or Australia. At times, DakhaBrakha is simply a rock band whose crazy homeland harmonies are filled with joy. All the while, they play tight-knit tunes featuring accordion, drums, reeds and shakers while wearing tall, Marge Simpson-looking wool hats that made me jealous It’s refreshing to hear the power of acoustic music and the many worlds of sound still waiting to be explored.” Bob Bollen, Producer
NPR Podcast


Пташечка (Little Bird)
Vivienne Mort
The first attempts to create the band Vivienne Mort came in 2007, when singer/songwriter Daniela Zaiushkina composed her first songs. Finally, in 2010 Vivienne Mort released its debut mini album Єсєнтукі LOVE. In 2013 the band released their first full-length album Театр Pipinó at the Revet Sound recording studio and set out on a Ukrainian tour. At the same time, they made a music video for the song “Сліди маленьких рук” (Small Handprints), that was broadcast and spread on the net very quickly. In 2014 Vivienne Mort released the second mini album called Готика (Gothic) and a music video for the song “Риба” (Fish). The new mini album Filin is introduced on March 1, 2015. The new single “Ти забув про мене” (You Forgot About Me) appears shortly after that. On March 15, 2016, the band released its fourth mini album Rósa. The corresponding tour began in Poland and ended in Kyiv The video for the song “Пташечка”, which was shot in Mumbai, India.
United Music Group | July 2016


The Best of Ozean Elzy
Okean Elzy
Okean Elzy, Elsa’s Ocean in English, O.E. for short, is a rock band from Ukraine. It is considered a cult band. The band was formed on October 12, 1994 by four friends in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv (German: Lemberg). The founding members Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, Denys Hlinin, Yuri Khustochka and Pavlo Hudimov knew each other from the band “Klan tyschi”, which was founded in 1991. Front singer Svyatoslav Vakarchuk (nicknamed “Slava”) writes most of the lyrics for Okean Elzy in his native Ukrainian. Besides, he is fluent in Russian, Polish and English. Vakarchuk became, after the 2019 parliamentary election with his own party ‘Voice’ deputy in the Ukrainian parliament. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vakarchuk joined the Territorial Defense of Lviv oblast on March 6, 2022. (Wikipedia) These guys tends to grow on you…
Moon Records | November 17


Zenit
ONUKA
The Ukrainian word onuka translates to “granddaughter,” a tribute to lead singer Zhyzhchenko’s grandfather and renowned folk-instrument maker, Oleksandr Shlionchyk.  Zhyzhchenko started her music career as a member of the band Tomato Jaws, a band that she started with her brother. Tomato Jaws remained active for 11 years, ultimately leading to the creation of ONUKA. Lead singer Nata Zhyzhchenko believes that she can revitalize old traditions and classic folk instruments such as the bandura and sopilka (a flute). ONUKA’s debut album was released in 2014, and it became the best-selling record of the month in Ukraine. Their first EP, Look, was released on May 15 and debuted #1 in Ukraine. ONUKA released a second EP, Vidlik on February 8, 2016. The EP includes five tracks: ‘Svitanok’, ‘Vidlik’, ‘Other (Intro)’, ‘Other’, and ‘1986’. Zhyzhchenko cites the Chernobyl disaster, and its impact on Ukraine as a major influence on the album. The EP’s name, Vidlik, means both ‘new beginning’, and ‘countdown’. (Wikipedia)
Vidik Records | December 19


Bella Ciao 
Adaptation of the Italian Folk Song; Ukrainian-Jewish klezmer by Mishka
Khrystyna Soloviy
Khrystyna Ivanivna Soloviy (1993, Lviv Oblast) is a Ukranian-Lemko folk singer, born into a family of choral conductors. She graduated in philosophy from the University of Kyiv. In 2013, she won the Ukrainian casting show „Голос країни“ (The Voice of Ukraine) and chose Slawa Wakartschuk as her mentor. He produced her first album Zhyva voda (Living Water) which included 12 songs (ten folk songs of Lemko and Ukrainian origin and two written by herself). Meanwhile, Khrystyna Soloviy is one of the most famous singers of Ukraine. In times of peace, she sings about love. Since February 24, the date of the invasion of her country by Russian troops, the 29-year-old singer has decided to use her songs as a weapon of war.
Rectangle | February 22

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