Leningrad (band)
Encyclopedia
Leningrad also known as Gruppirovka Leningrad and Bandformirovanie Leningrad , is a popular Russia
n ska punk
band from Saint Petersburg
(formerly Leningrad), led by Sergey "Shnur" Shnurov
.
Composed of 14 members, the band appeared in the late 1990s. They soon became famous for their vulgar lyrics containing obscenity
, aestheticization of alcoholism
and Russian mat
, the main reason they were avoided by most radio stations at first. But this did not stop Leningrad's growing popularity, partly because of the rich brass
sound. The band have made their way to radio and TV (filler noises covering the prohibited words), with Shnurov even presenting some New Year's Eve TV shows.
Circa 2007 the group began experimenting with female back vocals, finally choosing tall redhead jazz singer Yuliya Kogan as a permanent participant.
Disbanded in 2008, Leningrad reunited in 2010. Several new songs and videos have been released since, most of them featuring lead vocals by Kogan, not Shnur.
and girls that is." Several Leningrad's recent songs portray woman (by Yuliya Kogan's voice) worshipping man's penis
.
The band are known to be so disliked by the former mayor of Moscow
Yuriy Luzhkov, that he has cancelled all of their ever attempted public events in the city during his long term in office.
Another field of the band's artistic interests are mainstream
cultural and political cliché
s. 2007 song Vyborys final string Kandidaty - pidory ("Candidates are faggots") became a widespread post-Soviet meme
referring to the election abstention
. Fresh 2010 song I Bolsche Nikogo ("And Nobody Else (That I Love") addresses Saint Petersburg
's intended image
as "Russia's cultural capital", ridiculed with the use of mat and references to alcoholism
and street crime
.
Shnurov is also fond of ridiculing Russian pop music
and pop rock
, particularly by covering their songs and inviting their stars to perform live together.
inclination, notably DMB
and Bimmer
. Three songs by Leningrad appeared prominently on the soundtrack to the 2005 film Everything Is Illuminated
. "Nikogo Ne Zhalko" is one of the songs used in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n ska punk
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
band from Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
(formerly Leningrad), led by Sergey "Shnur" Shnurov
Sergei Shnurov
Sergey Vladimirovich Shnurov is a Russian musician and songwriter, best known as Shnur, of the ska-punk band Leningrad which he formed in 1997 and was the frontman of till the end of 2008...
.
Composed of 14 members, the band appeared in the late 1990s. They soon became famous for their vulgar lyrics containing obscenity
Obscenity
An obscenity is any statement or act which strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time, is a profanity, or is otherwise taboo, indecent, abhorrent, or disgusting, or is especially inauspicious...
, aestheticization of alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and Russian mat
Russian mat
Mat is the term for strong obscene profanity in Russian and some other Slavic language communities.Use of mat is censored in the media and use of mat in public constitutes a form of disorderly conduct, punishable under article 20.1.1 of the Offences Code of Russia, although it is only enforced...
, the main reason they were avoided by most radio stations at first. But this did not stop Leningrad's growing popularity, partly because of the rich brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
sound. The band have made their way to radio and TV (filler noises covering the prohibited words), with Shnurov even presenting some New Year's Eve TV shows.
Circa 2007 the group began experimenting with female back vocals, finally choosing tall redhead jazz singer Yuliya Kogan as a permanent participant.
Disbanded in 2008, Leningrad reunited in 2010. Several new songs and videos have been released since, most of them featuring lead vocals by Kogan, not Shnur.
Cultural impact
As Shnurov said himself: "Our songs are just about the good sides of life, vodkaVodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
and girls that is." Several Leningrad's recent songs portray woman (by Yuliya Kogan's voice) worshipping man's penis
Human penis
The human penis is an external sexual organ of male humans. It is a reproductive, intromittent organ that additionally serves as the urinal duct.-Parts:...
.
The band are known to be so disliked by the former mayor of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
Yuriy Luzhkov, that he has cancelled all of their ever attempted public events in the city during his long term in office.
Another field of the band's artistic interests are mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
cultural and political cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s. 2007 song Vyborys final string Kandidaty - pidory ("Candidates are faggots") became a widespread post-Soviet meme
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
referring to the election abstention
Abstention
Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with "blank vote", in which a voter casts a ballot willfully made invalid by...
. Fresh 2010 song I Bolsche Nikogo ("And Nobody Else (That I Love") addresses Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
's intended image
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
as "Russia's cultural capital", ridiculed with the use of mat and references to alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and street crime
Street crime
Street crime is a loose term for criminal offences taking place in public places. It has moved to occupy the place once held by mugging. According to London's Metropolitan Police Force, street crime is:...
.
Shnurov is also fond of ridiculing Russian pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
, particularly by covering their songs and inviting their stars to perform live together.
Soundtracks
Leningrad songs appeared in several popular films, mostly those of pulp and crimeCrime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
inclination, notably DMB
Demobbed (film)
Demobbed is a cult Russian comedy film by Roman Kachanov, offering an absurdistic view on the Russian army by the eyes of a conscript...
and Bimmer
Bimmer (film)
Bimmer Bimmer Bimmer (Russian title: Бумер is a 2003 road movie directed by Pyotr Buslov. The plot is about four people who get into trouble with the law and have to leave the city using a black BMW (the eponymous "Bummer")....
. Three songs by Leningrad appeared prominently on the soundtrack to the 2005 film Everything Is Illuminated
Everything Is Illuminated (film)
Everything Is Illuminated is a 2005 adventure/dramedy film, written and directed by Liev Schreiber and starring Elijah Wood and Eugene Hütz...
. "Nikogo Ne Zhalko" is one of the songs used in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
.
Current line-up
- Sergei "Shnur" ShnurovSergei ShnurovSergey Vladimirovich Shnurov is a Russian musician and songwriter, best known as Shnur, of the ska-punk band Leningrad which he formed in 1997 and was the frontman of till the end of 2008...
(Сергей "Шнур" Шнуров) - vocals, arrangement, lyrics - Yuliya "Yulia" Kogan (Юлия "Юля" Коган) - vocals, backing vocals
- Vyacheslav "Sevych" Antonov (Вячеслав "Севыч" Антонов ) - backing vocals, maracas
- Aleksandr "Puzo" Popov (Александр "Пузо" Попов) - bass drumBass drumBass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
, percussion, vocals - Andrey "Antonych" Antonenko (Андрей "Антоныч" Антоненко) - tuba, arrangement
- Denis Mozhin (Денис Можин) - sound director
- Grigoriy "Zontik" Zontov (Григорий "Зонтик" Зонтов) - tenor saxophone
- Denis "Kashchey" Kuptsov (Денис "Кащей" Купцов) - drums
- Roman "Shukher" Parygin (Роман "Шухер" Парыгин) - trumpet
- Andrey "Ded" Kurayev (Андрей "Дед" Кураев) - bass
- Ilya "Pianist" Rogachevskiy (Илья "Пианист" Рогачевский) - keyboard
- Konstantin "Limon" Limonov (Константин "Лимон" Лимонов) - guitar
- Vladislav "Valdik" Aleksandrov (Владислав "Валдик" Александров) - trombone
- Aleksey Kanev "Lekha" (Алексей "Лёха" Канев) - baritone saxophone, alto saxophone
- Stas Baretsky (Стас Барецкий) - dancing and mascotMascotThe term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
Discography
| Year | Title | Translation | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Пуля Pulya Pulya is the first album by the Russian ska-punk band Leningrad.- Track listing :#"Я так люблю тебя" - Ya tak lyublyu tebya – 2:53#"Таблетка" - Tabletka – 4:19#"Таня" - Tanya – 2:29... |
Bullet | |
| 1999 | Мат без электричества | Mat Russian mat Mat is the term for strong obscene profanity in Russian and some other Slavic language communities.Use of mat is censored in the media and use of mat in public constitutes a form of disorderly conduct, punishable under article 20.1.1 of the Offences Code of Russia, although it is only enforced... without the electricity |
|
| 2000 | Дачники Dachniki Dachniki is the third studio album by the Russian band Leningrad.-Track listing:#"Дачники" - Dachniki – 2:10#"СКА" - SKA – 1:47#"Когда нет денег" - Kogda net deneg – 2:59... |
Dacha Dacha Dacha is a Russian word for seasonal or year-round second homes often located in the exurbs of Soviet and post-Soviet cities. Cottages or shacks serving as family's main or only home are not considered dachas, although many purpose-built dachas are recently being converted for year-round residence... People |
|
| 2001 | Пуля+ (Диск 1) | Bullet+ (Disc 1) | |
| 2001 | Пуля+ (Диск 2) | Bullet+ (Disc 2) | |
| 2001 | Маде ин жопа Made in Zhopa Made in zhopa is the fourth album by the Russian ska punk group Leningrad. "Маде ин жопа" means 'Made in the Asshole'. If it were to be in Russian, the album should be "Сделано в жопе", but the album name refers to the international expression "Made in..."-Track listing:#"В клубе модном" - V klube... |
Made in the Ass | |
| 2002 | Пираты XXI века | Pirates of the 21st Century | |
| 2002 | Точка Tochka (album) Tochka is a 2002 album by Leningrad. "Точка", means 'dot' or 'point'. In Russian slang, this can refer to a place of prostitution or somewhere that vodka is sold.-Track listing:#"Money" – 3:14#"Наркоман" - Narkoman - – 4:51... |
Point | Contains the song "Money" |
| 2003 | Ленинград уделывает Америку (Диск 1) Leningrad udelivaet Ameriku Disk 1 Ленинград уделывает Америку is a 2003 album by the Russian band Leningrad.-Track listing:#"Когда нет денег" - Kogda net deneg - – 3:48#"Группа крови" - Gruppa krovi - – 4:42... |
Leningrad does America (Disc 1) | |
| 2003 | Ленинград уделывает Америку (Диск 2) | Leningrad does America (Disc 2) | |
| 2003 | Второй Магаданский | Second Magadan | |
| 2003 | Для миллионов Dlya Millionov Dlya millionov is the eighth studio album by the Russian ska punk band, Leningrad.-Track listing:#"Меня зовут Шнур" - Menya zovut Shnur - – 2:42#"Май" - May – 2:33#"Хуйня" - Khuynya - 2:54... |
For Millions | Contains the song "Меня зовут Шнур". |
| 2004 | Бабаробот Babarobot Babarobot , is a concept album by the Russian ska punk band, Leningrad, presented as a playful radio drama. The first track includes the other twelve songs of the album with dialogue between.-Story:... |
Fembot | |
| 2004 | (Не) Полное собрание сочинений | (Un) Collected Works | Greatest Hits Record |
| 2005 | Хуйня Huinya Huinya is a collaboration between the Russian band Leningrad and the British trio The Tiger Lillies. All but two of the songs are Tiger Lillies songs translated into Russian and performed by Leningrad; the remainder are Leningrad songs sung by The Tiger Lillies in English. The album was recorded in... |
Bullshit | Collaboration with The Tiger Lillies Tiger Lillies The Tiger Lillies are a three-piece band, formed in 1989 and based in London. They have toured worldwide and won acclaim with their opera Shockheaded Peter.... . |
| 2006 | Хлеб | Bread | German release of Хлеб |
| 2006 | Бабье лето | Indian Summer Indian summer An Indian summer is a meteorological phenomenon that occurs in the autumn. It refers to a period of considerably above normal temperatures, accompanied by dry and hazy conditions, usually after there has been a killing frost... |
|
| 2007 | Аврора Avrora (album) Avrora , is an album by the Russian band Leningrad, released in 2007.-Track listing:#"Вокруг света" - Vokrug sveta - 00:55#"Hello, Moscow!" - 02:23#"Музыка Для Мужика" - Muzika dlya muzhika - 03:08... |
Aurora | |
| 2011 | Khna>Хна | Henna | |
| 2011 | Vechny Ogon>Вечный огонь | The Eternal Fire | Internet release, wasn't released on CD yet |