“We came from the underground and became popular with our pop-culture parodies. One day to my horror I realized that our group has become similar to the objects of our parodies and mockery. We were starting to merge with all those pop-star crowd, but I’m not one of them and never wanted to be,” - Sergey Mikhalok, the band’s leader says. He admits that it wasn’t so easy to give up the show business game and become independent once again.
According to him, “it was very difficult to get our true essence back on top. And the thing wasn’t about any contracts. We had to overcome public opinion and, most importantly, set our own minds free. At first, my internal discomfort from the gap between the authentic “Lyapis Trubetskoy” and its public image was relieved by hard drinking and other stuff, but when my weight peaked at 110 kilograms and my mind was about to collapse, I gave up everything, lost 25 kilograms and started to play the music I like.”
“Capital” is the second independent album by “Lyapis Trubetskoy” after the “Zoloty’ye yaytsy” (“Golden Balls”) created in 2004 under heavy reggae and ska influence. “While working on “Zoloty’ye yaytsy” we didn’t understand what to do with our independence. As a result there were some reflex attempts to score a radio hit with “Rain’ka” or “Pochtal’iony” (“Postmen”), - Sergey Mikhalok says. – But this wasn’t the biggest problem. The whole album was overproduced, we tried to mix too many styles, musical instruments and sounds in it. So, we paid too much attention to the form instead of the essence. We were in need of a real professional who could tell us what was good and what was too much.”
That is why searching for a sound producer was one of the main tasks while working on “Capital”. At some point the band wanted to record their album in London, in the hometown the legendary British ska-band “Madness” (one of Mihalok’s favourites). When almost everything was ready for that, a chance interfered. At a concert in Kiev “Lyapis Trubetskoy” met a famous Ukrainian sound producer Vitaliy Telezin. He worked with “Okean El’zi”, “Brat’ia Grim” and other top Ukrainian/Russian artists. But it wasn’t the thing that attracted Mikhalok and his friends.
“We are from the same generation with him, we had common world outlook, we liked the same music. And it was the music we wanted to record on our new album. I don’t want to offend anyone, but, roughly speaking, for our band he is the first studio guy who didn’t need explanations about what is California wave or how “Green Day” and “Offspring” make their sound,” - Mikhalok says.
And this combination has worked perfectly well. Now it’s already clear that the new album will mean to the band and its fans no less than the legendary “Ty kinula” (“You Gave Me Up”) in 1998 and will give a rise to the new popularity wave for “Lyapis Trubetskoy”. Still, according to Sergey Mikhalok, the ideology of both the new album and the present group is different from what used to be in the years between these two landmarks. He says: “When I started my career I used to write songs that changed me and the world around me, but later I began to create stuff, that didn’t have influence either on me or the world around. At best those songs could be a soundtrack for some wedding or birthday. And what is horrible at some point I even used to be proud of that. But now I have come back to what everything started from – to a mix of biting satire and powerful chords.”
Video clips have played an important role in the album presentation. The first clip for the song “Hare” (“Enough”), a cheerful wedding trash-video, was filmed by a famous actor and new wave director Vladimir Epifantsev. The second clip, animation video “Capital”, which has become a real Internet sensation, was made by Aleksey Terekhov, co-author of the legendary “Au” (1998) and “Rozochka” (1999) videos. "Capital" has hardly appeared on TV, but has already won several prizes and got a lot of nominations on the different video & music festivals in Russia, Belarus, Portugal and so on.
Frontman Siarhei Mikhalok anounced mid-March 2014 that the group would ceased to exist the next 1 September.
offical website
www.lyapis.com
myspace page
www.myspace.com/lyapis
Матрёшка
Ляпис Трубецкой Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Гремят обломки империй, рушатся древние стены.
А в зоне Совдеповских прерий — дьявольские перемены.
Проснулись вожди ГУЛага: голодные псы Тартара,
Кулак Иванушки Драго и мощь православных радаров.
Красна хохломою матрёшка, бьют в сердце колокола.
Как девка хохочет гармошка, над матушкой-Волгой — туман.
Робят, и в цепях по дорожке: Смоленск, Чита, Магадан.
Шанхай — столица Урала, столица Сибири — Баку.
Казачий патруль по вокзалам в водочке топит тоску.
Бредут бурлаки вдоль канавы — тянут обломки ракет.
Воскреснет карлик картавый под звон Олимпийских Побед.
Красна хохломою матрёшка, бьют в сердце колокола.
Роняет березка серёжки, как горлица — пёрья с крыла.
Как девка хохочет гармошка, над матушкой-Волгой — туман.
Робят, и в цепях по дорожке: Смоленск, Чита, Магадан.
В лапти, как ноженьки, языки костра;
Лезвия ножичков гуляют до утра.
Любо голодранцам резать Богачёв,
Вернулся из Франции Емелька Пугачёв!
Красна хохломою матрёшка, бьют в сердце колокола.
Роняет березка серёжки, как горлица — пёрья с крыла.
Как девка хохочет гармошка, над матушкой-Волгой — туман.
Робят, и в цепях по дорожке: Смоленск, Чита, Магадан.
Матрёшка!
The lyrics of Ляпис Трубецкой's song "Матрёшка" touch upon various themes, alluding to the political and social changes happening in Russia. The line "Гремят обломки империй, рушатся древние стены" translates to "The ruins of empires are crashing, ancient walls are crumbling." This can be interpreted as a commentary on the downfall of the Soviet Union and the subsequent changes in the political landscape. The song also mentions "ГУЛага," referring to the infamous Soviet labor camp system, and "Кулак Иванушки Драго," which can be seen as a symbol of the struggling working class. The power of the Orthodox Church is also mentioned with the line "мощь православных радаров."
The lyrics continue to depict different cities and regions in Russia, such as Shanghai, Ural, Siberia, and Baku, emphasizing their importance and influence. The song also references the burlaks, who were riverboat haulers, and the longing for freedom and better days. The final verse mentions "Емелька Пугачёв," a historical figure who led a rebellion against Catherine the Great in 18th century Russia. This reference highlights a desire for change and revolution.
Overall, "Матрёшка" can be interpreted as a reflection on the historical, social, and political changes in Russia, expressing the hope for a better future and the recognition of the struggles faced by the working class.
Line by Line Meaning
Гремят обломки империй, рушатся древние стены.
The remains of empires crash and ancient walls crumble.
А в зоне Совдеповских прерий — дьявольские перемены.
And in the zone of Soviet prairies - devilish changes.
Проснулись вожди ГУЛага: голодные псы Тартара,
Leaders of the Gulag have awoken: hungry Tartar dogs.
Кулак Иванушки Драго и мощь православных радаров.
The fist of Ivanushka Drago and the power of Orthodox radars.
Красна хохломою матрёшка, бьют в сердце колокола.
The matryoshka is red with Khokhloma, the bells strike the heart.
Роняет березка серёжки, как горлица — пёрья с крыла.
The birch tree drops earrings, like a dove - feathers from its wing.
Как девка хохочет гармошка, над матушкой-Волгой — туман.
The accordion laughs like a girl, above Mother Volga - a fog.
Робят, и в цепях по дорожке: Смоленск, Чита, Магадан.
They toil, and in chains along the path: Smolensk, Chita, Magadan.
Шанхай — столица Урала, столица Сибири — Баку.
Shanghai - the capital of the Ural Mountains, the capital of Siberia - Baku.
Казачий патруль по вокзалам в водочке топит тоску.
The Cossack patrol drowns their sorrow in vodka at the train stations.
Бредут бурлаки вдоль канавы — тянут обломки ракет.
The burlaks trudge along the canal - dragging the remains of rockets.
Воскреснет карлик картавый под звон Олимпийских Побед.
The lisping dwarf will rise again under the chime of Olympic victories.
В лапти, как ноженьки, языки костра;
In bast shoes, tongues of the bonfire become like legs;
Лезвия ножичков гуляют до утра.
The blade of little knives dance until morning.
Любо голодранцам резать Богачёв,
How delightful for the starving to cut Bogachov,
Вернулся из Франции Емелька Пугачёв!
Emelya Pugachov has returned from France!
Матрёшка!
Matryoshka!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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