MOLCHAT DOMA - "Belaya Polosa" Album Review
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"Belaya Polosa" is the fourth album by Belarus post-punk trio Molchat Doma. Globally known for their unmistakable gloomy post-Soviet sound, the band hinted at a complete stylistic reinvention prior to this release. Relocating from Minsk to Los Angeles, they successfully managed to introduce influences of disco music and dance electronica to their brand of industrial cold-wave. This new album marks a clear turning point and a transitional moment they seem to have fully embraced and owned. The compellingly original soundscapes of the band’s early records are still rooted to this work, but they have been upgraded to a more dynamic mash-up of Eastern folk and Spaghetti Western soundtracks. As a result, Belaya Polosa feels courageous and sonically rich/polarising. The baritone voice of Egor Shkutko has a newly acquired folk-like charm thanks to the retro maximalist synth whimpers on songs like “Ты Же Не Знаешь Кто Я / Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya”. This record still holds the same poetic nostalgia that made Molchat Doma so appealing. "Coн or Son", masterfully re-affirms this aspect through the amalgamated sounds of a Western sounding guitar, retro hypnotic synths and a thick hammering bass line. Without a doubt, one of the most contrasting and lyrically tragic tracks of the album. Many of the songs seem to be stuck in this restless mood and they quiver with agitated energy. The best moments of the record are its pyrotechnics flashes. In "III" we come across a blending of exotic new elements. it's by far the least Molchat Doma track ever written by the trio, but paradoxically one of the most compelling in the album. The first time I listened to it I almost wanted to stand up and dance, then i reminded myself "this is actually a Molchat Doma album!". The intricate dance finale has a peculiar 80s Italo disco vibe that I found quite shocking at first, but that I thoroughly enjoyed. Did they deliver change? Absolutely! Whether this change is something that the die-hard Molchat Doma fans will appreciate and understand is an entirely different matter. I can partially see how some of their listeners may struggle to digest such a complex, multifaceted and clashing sound palette. For a knowingly minimalistic band, this is a 180 into the colourful depths of maximalism. “Я Так Устал / Ya Tak Ustal” has a Depeche Mode sounding intro that quickly erupts into a full Joy Division/Sisters Of Mercy soundscape. Shkutko’s voice is obscure and reverb-drenched, and his sorrowful feel communicated effectively. Album highlights include the almost-shoegaze “Belaya Polosa”. This song navigates in restlessness. Its lyrics depict sleepless days, and a never ending Winter in which love appears unreachable. This same feeling of hopelessness is best encountered in the silent, watching moon in “Зимняя / Zimnyaya,” a song whose upbeat production is in clear contrast with Shkutko’s bittersweet singing. This is an aspect I find particularly enticing in this record: it's an intricate oxymore in which the extent of the opposites is never defined. All the songs are astounding individually and it feels like a cohesive project comprehensively. Toning down that layer of "grit" and looping doom was a risk that payed off. Molchat Doma’s full new presence is bold, fresh, and thrilling.
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