Agata Kristi has created its unique style incorporating post-punk / new wave music with decadent poetry in their lyrics and made a great contribution to Russian rock. They achieved the Grand-Prix at festival of young European groups "Open du Rock" (France, 1991), premium "World Music Awards" as the most popular Russian music band (Monte-Carlo, 1997), four national premiums "Овация (Ovation)", in 2000 it was voted the best Russian group of the 90s.
The founders of the band - Vadim Samoylov (born in Sverdlovsk, 3 October 1964), Aleksandr Kozlov (born in Asbest, 25 September 1961) and Petr Mai - were schoolmates, they played together in a school band. In 1985 they (together with Vadim's younger brother Gleb Samoylov, who was born in Asbest, August 4, 1970) created a music band named "ВИА РТФ УПИ" (which literally stands for: vocal-instrumental ensemble of Radioengineering faculty of Ural Polytechnical Institute). The original band comprises:
Глеб Самойлов (Gleb Samoylov) - vocals, guitar, bass, lyrics, adaptation, keyboard
Вадим Самойлов (Vadim Samoylov) - vocals, guitar, bass, lyrics, adaptation, keyboard
Петр Май (Petr Mai) -- drums, percussion
Александр Козлов (Aleksandr Kozlov) - keyboard, composer/lyrics (now deceased)
They released several tape albums: "Если (If)", "Свет (Light)", and others. In the same year they changed the name of the band to "Agata Kristi" (the way Agatha Christie's name is pronounced in Russian). The name was chosen allegedly as best reflecting the band's sound style, a mysterious, eccentric, and at times sadistically spooky mix of glam, goth rock, and techno-like electronics.
The official birthday of "Agata Kristi" is February 20, 1988, the day of their first concert and the release of the first official album "Второй Фронт" (Vtoroj Front - Second Front). In 1988-1989 "Agata Kristi" played at several rock festivals and was beginning to attract attention. Still, two more albums to follow -- "Коварство и любовь" (Kovarstvo i Lubov - Craft and Love) and "Декаданс" (Dekadans - Decadence) -- seemed overly theatrical and pompous to many. There were also some internal tensions in the band: Petr Mai left and was replaced by Альберт Потапкин (Albert Potapkin), and then by Андрей Котов (Andrey Kotov) (born in Sverdlovsk, April 3, 1963).
In 1993 the band released a much more focused and balanced album: "Позорная Звезда" (Pozornaya Zvezda - Shameful Star), which marked a shift from the guitar-driven glam rock of the previous albums to a synth-based post-punk with a more subdued vocal delivery. The next album "Опиум" (Opium) enjoyed considerable success. "Agata Kristi" quickly became a popular act. Two songs from "Opium" -- "Сказочная Тайга" (Fairy Taiga) and "Опиум для Никого" (Opium for Nobody) became hits. The next albums - "Ураган" (Uragan - Hurricane) and "Чудеса" (Chudesa - Miracles) -- were gloomy, even depressive, and loaded with electronics, a move which was not well-recieved by many of the band's fans. 2000's "Майн Кайф?" (Main Kaif? - a word-play derived from Mein Kampf (Hitler's autobiography) and the Russian word "Kaif", meaning 'bliss' - featured sound no less gloomy and bleak than its predecessors, but received critical praise because of its unorthodox composition and song structures. In 2001, the founding keyboardist, Alexander Kozlov, died, which is said to be the reason for prolonged creative stagnation. Only in 2004 did the Samoylovs release the next album: "Триллер Часть 1" (Triller Chast' 1 - Thriller Part 1). It was a significant stylistic deviation from the band's trademark murky electronic sound. This lean, heavier, hard rock-infused album was generally well received by critics, that have found a likeness with the "Opium" album, and it has divided listeners & fans in two: those who stayed with the band, and those who didn't accept the new style. Several songs from this album made it to the top of the charts in Russia and made appearances on the radio.
While being less prolific in the 2000s, Agata Kristi has proved to be quite a long-lasting project. Over their history, the band explored a variety of styles, from the synth-pop of Depeche Mode and Freddie Mercury's extravaganza to the gloomy post-punk of The Cure and The Damned. Unlike the majority of the Russian rock scene, which historically adhered to the guitar-driven rock, Agata Kristi embraced a hefty share of synthesizer rhythms and drums, which, together with the characteristic vocals switching from a suggestive whisper to hysterical shrieks, makes their style easily recognizable.
Starting officially on 11.10.2008, after Andrey Kotov was driven out of the band - Agata Kristi was comprised of the Samoylov brothers and the following new members:
Дмитрий "Снэйк" Хакимов (Dmitry "Snake" Khakimov) - drums, percussion
Константин Бекрев (Konstantin Bekrev) - keyboard, bass
As for now the band does not give and live concerts anymore. Their last and final album "Epilogue" is announced to be released in spring 2010.
Official website: http://agata.ru
Черная луна
Агата Кристи Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
На небе ухмыляется Луна
А звезды будто мириады стрел
Ловя на мушку силуэты снов
Смеется и злорадствует Любовь
И мы с тобой попали на прицел
Я же своей рукою
Сердце твое прикрою
И не бояться больше ничего
Сердце твое двулико
Сверху оно набито
Мягкой травой
А снизу каменное каменное дно
Смотри же и глазам своим не верь
На небе затаился черный зверь
В глазах его я чувствую беду
Не знал и не узнаю никогда
Зачем ему нужна твоя душа
Она гореть не сможет и в аду
Я же своей рукою
Сердце твое прикрою
Можешь лететь
И не бояться больше ничего
Сердце твое двулико
Сверху оно набито
Мягкой травой
А снизу каменное каменное дно
The lyrics of Agatha Christie's song "Chernaya Luna" evoke a sense of foreboding and danger, as the moon and stars seem to be conspiring against the singer and their loved one. The opening lines suggest that sinister plans are being made under the cover of night, with the moon grinning above and the stars acting as a multitude of arrows, taking aim at the silhouette of dreams. Love is personified in the next line, laughing and gloating as if it too is in on the plot against the singer.
The singer professes their protection for their beloved, offering to shield their heart with their own hand. They encourage their loved one to fly without fear and believe that nothing bad can happen to them. But the singer knows that the beloved's heart is multifaceted - it is lined with soft grass on top but has a stone-hard bottom. This suggests that while the beloved may seem gentle and kind on the surface, they may have a hidden, cold, and cruel side that should not be underestimated.
The final verse warns the beloved not to trust their own eyes as they stare into the starry sky, as a black beast hides within the darkness. The singer can sense the danger that this creature brings, but they cannot understand why it would crave the beloved's soul. They conclude by promising to protect and shelter the beloved's heart, which is both vulnerable and invincible in different ways.
Line by Line Meaning
Задумывая черные дела
Planning evil deeds
На небе ухмыляется Луна
The moon is smiling in the sky
А звезды будто мириады стрел
Stars are like countless arrows
Ловя на мушку силуэты снов
Aiming at the silhouettes of dreams
Смеется и злорадствует Любовь
Love laughs and rejoices
И мы с тобой попали на прицел
And we are now in its target
Я же своей рукою
I will cover your heart with my own hand
Сердце твое прикрою
I will protect your heart
Можешь лететь
You can fly
И не бояться больше ничего
And not be afraid of anything anymore
Сердце твое двулико
Your heart is two-faced
Сверху оно набито
On top, it's filled with soft grass
Мягкой травой
Soft grass
А снизу каменное каменное дно
But at the bottom, it's a stone-cold bottom
Смотри же и глазам своим не верь
So don't believe your own eyes
На небе затаился черный зверь
A black beast is lurking in the sky
В глазах его я чувствую беду
I feel trouble in its eyes
Не знал и не узнаю никогда
I never knew and will never know
Зачем ему нужна твоя душа
Why does it need your soul?
Она гореть не сможет и в аду
It won't burn even in hell
Contributed by Matthew C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@aerials24
Задумывая чёрные дела
На небе ухмыляется луна
А звёзды, будто мириады стрел
Ловя на мушку силуэты снов
Смеется и злорадствует любовь
И мы с тобой попали на прицел
Я же своей рукою
Сердце твоё прикрою
Можешь лететь и не бояться больше ничего
Сердце твоё двулико
Сверху оно набито
Мягкой травой, а снизу каменное, каменное дно
Смотри же и глазам своим не верь
На небе затаился чёрный зверь
В глазах его я чувствую беду
Не знал и не узнаю никогда
Зачем ему нужна твоя душа
Она гореть не сможет и в аду
Я же своей рукою
Сердце твоё прикрою
Можешь лететь и не бояться больше ничего
Сердце твоё двулико
Сверху оно набито
Мягкой травой
A снизу каменное, каменное дно
Сердце твоё двулико
Сверху оно набито
Мягкой травой
A снизу каменное, каменное дно
Я же своей рукою
Сердце твоё…
@gvozdodyer
Когда мне херово на душе, включаю агату, становится еще хуже, но в целом получше!!!
@svetap3923
👏👏👏
@user-xc5sc4vs4b
Это точно...
@user-pu3vf8ee6t
Гениальные буквы!😀👍
@royalsroy8381
ебать ты лучший!
@knaimmurzagalieva905
Я тоже,когда хреново,слушаю"Агату ..." И ничего ,все проходит!
@user-bq4wu9zt6g
Удивляешься как быстро проходит день, а потом понимаешь, что не день, а целая жизнь.!!!!!!
@Serjio77981
Это да
@_dlh_drl_
Жизнь как сон
@user-tc1vc4pw1h
Таки жизнь прошла, ты согласен, что мы в матрице находимся?