Alisa was founded in November 1983 by bassist Svetoslav Zadery. The name of the band is borrowed from Lewis Carroll's book "Alice in Wonderland". The band's lineup was finally completed in 1984, when new vocalist Kostya Kinchev (born Konstantin Panfilov) and guitarist Pyotr Samoylov joined Alisa. Their debut album "Energia" (Energy) was released by Melodia, the state publishing monopoly, and was sold in numbers of more than one million.
But the relations between the two leaders, Konstantin and Zadery, were poor, and finally Svetoslav left the band. This occurred just one hour before Alisa was to perform at a concert. Alisa had to ask Кино bassist Igor Tihomirov to replace him for one concert. Later Zadery created his own band 'Nate!' ('Take it!').
The growing popularity of the band created a fan community called the 'Army of Alisa', known for their rough behaviour at concerts. It led to animosity between the band and Soviet officials. In 1987 the newspaper Smena accused Kinchev of Nazi propaganda and worshipping Hitler. Alisa's leader Kinchev filed a suit for calumny and moral loss compensation. After the year-long court process the magazine published the refutation. Alisa's next album was titled Article 206 part 2, a chapter ('Hooliganism') of the USSR Procedural Code, alluding to this process.
There were new lineup changes in 1988, when guitarist Igor 'Chuma' Chumykin joined Alisa. This change was followed by the heavier sound of next albums Shabash and For those Who Fell From the Moon. Alisa toured through Europe and Israel together with Aria. The album Black Mark, 1994, was dedicated to the memory of Chuma, who committed suicide by jumping from the window.
In the new millennium, with albums such as Seychas Pozdnee Chem Ty Dumaesh (It is Later Than You Think, 2003) and Izgoy (Exile, 2005), the sound of Alisa was changed to a heavier one, including elements of nu-metal, industrial and heavy metal. Music critics credited Clawfinger as Kinchev's greatest new music influence. This gave Alisa a new fan base among Russian hard rock fans, and three songs from Izgoy continually reached the top of the NASHE radio chart.
Kinchev was baptised in 1990, and since then Christianity has been the main influence on his alignment and his lyrics. Although early Alisa lyrics were typical for Russian rock - the social protest and rock 'n' roll hype - since the late 1990's their main theme has been ideas of Christianity, Russian patriotism, and Slavic unity.
Konstantin is in good relations with the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, especially Andrey Kuraev. Alisa has participated in many religion-supporting festivals, such as 'Musicians for the Christ Savior Cathedral'.
Руны
АлисА Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Скомкает ночь,
А пустоты лет
Вычертит час,
Я начну игру,
Подберу слова,
Чтобы звук смог выразить суть
Каждого из нас.
Экспериментируем,
Рядим, судим, милуем
Нас без нас.
Разные, похожие,
Близкие, прохожие -
Сотни глаз.
Все пасут дым северных рун,
Тех, что выдумал я,
Высекая руны из струн
Огня.
А в глазах, как есть, прижатых к стене
Только страх да печаль.
Все скорбят о потере, а мне
Не жаль.
От себя к себе
Катится мир.
По себе себя
Ценит земля.
Я начну игру
Подберу слова,
Чтобы мир смог все потерять
И начать с нуля.
01.12.2009. Покрова
The lyrics to Алиса's song Руны speak to the power of music and language to express the essence of human experience. The singer, in the moments when night crushes the strength of the day and time is marked by the emptiness of the years, is drawn to create through words and sound. The song evokes an atmosphere of experimentation and exploration, where each voice has its own unique perspective to contribute to the conversation. The central metaphor of the dym severnykh run (smoke of Northern runes) adds a layer of mysticism to the piece, emphasizing the idea that music can communicate something beyond our everyday understanding.
The chorus of the song touches on a theme of loss and mourning, with the singer noting that, while others may grieve for what they have lost, they feel no such sorrow. This creates a sense of detachment and otherness, as if the singer exists on a separate plane from those around them. This feeling is reinforced by the final lines of the song, which speak to a desire to create something new, to begin again from scratch. The use of the words "от себя к себе" (from oneself to oneself) reinforces the idea of a solitary journey, and speaks to the power of music to both express and connect individual experience.
Line by Line Meaning
????? ???? ???
When the strength of the day
???????? ????,
Is crumpled by the night,
? ??????? ???
And the emptiness of years
???????? ???,
Draws out an hour,
? ????? ????,
I will start a game,
??????? ?????,
Choosing my words carefully,
????? ???? ???? ???????? ????
So that sound can express the essence
??????? ?? ???.
Of every one of us.
????????????????,
We experiment,
?????, ?????, ??????
Arrange, judge, and caress
??? ??? ???.
Us without ourselves.
??????, ???????,
Different, similar,
???????, ???????? -
Close, passing by -
????? ????.
Hundreds of eyes.
??? ????? ??? ???????? ???,
Everyone tends to the smoke of Northern runes,
???, ??? ??????? ?,
Those that I have invented,
??????? ???? ?? ?????
Carving runes from the strings
????.
Of fire.
? ? ??????, ??? ????, ???????? ? ?????
And in eyes, as they are, pressed against the wall,
?????? ????? ?? ??????.
Only fear and sadness.
??? ??????? ? ??????, ? ???
Everyone mourns for the loss, but to me
?? ????.
It's not a pity.
?? ???? ? ????
From myself to myself
??????? ???.
The world is rolling.
?? ???? ????
Valuing oneself
????? ?????.
The earth treasures.
? ????? ????
I will start a game
??????? ?????,
Choosing my words carefully,
????? ??? ???? ??? ????????
So that the world could lose everything
? ?????? ? ????.
And start from scratch.
01.12.2009. ???????
01.12.2009. Pokrova
Contributed by Cooper A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kabara Mangust
Песня супер!!! Особенно эпилог её...
Алексей Вагнер
Боже!! Как я люблю Кинчева! И да, мне 12:)
̶1̶t̶a̶c̶hi
Алиса Костя привет Кинчве Альбом
Алексей Вагнер
да, я до сих пор его слушаю
он просто лучший, из всех существующих певцов
у него есть глубокий смысл, красиво..
обожаю 💙
и, спасибо)
Александр Еремеев
Молодец! Дальше по жизни будет ещё интересней его слушать! Это - музыка со смыслом, вечная музыка, а не то, что там реперы! Надеюсь, вы до сих пор слушаете его и не перестанете!