ALBUM REVIEW: Всё CRAZY- ‘По Морям’ (2016)

no nonsense no frills just straight up fantastic celtic-punk from Belarus.

Well here we go and I am well out of my comfort zone here so apologies to the band if I don’t do them the justice they deserve for this fantastic album. I first came across Всё Crazy only a month or so ago on the Tribute To The Pogues compilation that we reviewed back at the end of March. The album was mostly bands from eastern Europe and one of those bands was Всё Crazy performing a rarely heard track ‘My Babys Gone’, off the first post-Shane LP Waiting For Herb, and boy in an album full of great tracks it just jumped right out at me. Chasing them up afterwards it seems they had also recently released an album and here it is.

Всё Crazy hail from Belarus which up until 1991 was part of the Soviet Union and their name (pronounced ‘vsio crazy’) translates as ‘All crazy’ and after one listen to ‘По Морям’ I think they may be right… but in a good way! Officially the Republic of Belarus, it is bordered by Russia to the north east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north west. They come from the capital city Minsk and amazingly in this day and age over 40% of Belarus 207,600 square km is forest. During WWII Belarus was devastated losing about a third of its population and more than half of its economic resources. With such a history of tragedy and oppression then it is perhaps no surprise that the celtic-punk scene is booming and along with Всё Crazy keep an eye out for the long established Dzieciuki and newcomers Dohodyaggi.

Всё CRAZY left to right: Aliaksandr ‘Petrovich’ Hliakau – Bass, Backing Vocals* Mikalai ‘Kondrat’ Kavalikhin – Drums* Liudmila ‘Barrakuda’ Navakouskaya – Mandolin* Aliaksandra ‘Shunya’ Halkouskaya – Vocals* Sergey ‘Sailor’ Lesnevsky – Accordion* Yauhen ‘Horny’ Rakhanski – Guitars* Anton ‘Sir’ Sirotin – Vocals, Guitars* Aleksei ‘Verik’ Voryvodski – Live Sound.

Всё Crazy formed way back in 2002 playing music of various genres, from reggae to blues rock. The core of the band settled down in 2006 following multiple line up changes. In 2012 they released a CD called ‘Телипыч’ (‘Telipych’) which compiled the best of the band from these days but it became a turning point for the band and straight after that Всё Crazy changed course and became a celtic-punk band going on to release an EP titled ‘St Patrick’s Day’ in 2014. As Alex the vocalist says

“We began celebrating St. Patrick’s day in our country about 10 years ago, it was a new experience for us. We found that Irish people have a lot in common with Belarusians, for instance, drinking a lot and eating potatoes! The same similarity we found between celtic and slavic folk tunes. Altogether, it resulted in the music we play today”

‘По Морям’ (pronounced: Po Moryam) translates into English as ‘over the seas’ which is apt as the album is dedicated to countries, like Belarus, that are land locked and live without a sea. Not that that has put them off singing about celtic-punks most popular subject and the album is peppered with sea faring songs. The album was produced by Siarhiej ‘Szloma’ Łabandziewski and the band’s frontman Anton ‘Sir’ Sirotin and

“The starry heavens above me and the moral law within me”

was the guide for Всё Crazy while composing and recording the album but those of a nervous disposition be careful of the sometimes colourful language (mind you unless you speak Russian that won’t matter much). All the songs are sung in Russian, the main language of Belarus but you’d have to be an absolute idiot if you’d let that put you off hearing this fantastic LP.

Now obviously I can’t tell you much about the song subjects but you can get a pretty good idea from the translations of the song titles. We don’t give a shit that that they don’t sing in English as from chatting to Alex from the band its obvious that they could but why should they? Kicking off with ‘Песня рыбака’ (The Fisherman’s Song) and straight away you know you are in for a good time. All your favourite celtic instruments are here as well as a good thrashy rock’n’roll guitar before shouty gang vocals start up and I know that I am going to enjoy the next forty odd minutes. This is followed by ‘Невеста’ (The Bride) with some beautiful female vocals and ‘Домой’ (Coming Home) slows it down a bit but I’m getting a good vibe here.

This is good time music and even though I am sure they are better to see live they have done a great job in transferring their sound. It sounds to be like they added some of their homelands folk music into the mix and it certainly works for me. The vocals are of the raspy, hoarse kind of metally way of ‘singing’ but in a genre not famed for its crooning that should be the least of anyone’s worries! It’s not all breakneck speed and the band prove they can turn their hand to fast and slow as well as fast’n’slow in the same song too. Next is the album title track ‘По морям’ (Over the Seas) an accordion led and a jolly good romp it is too sounding sort of like a eastern European Flogging Molly!

 ‘Ботинок в жопе’ (The Shoe in the Ass) has a sort of funky ceilidh type of thing going on and is the sort of track you could see breaking through. Maybe they should enter it into the Eurovision Song Contest for Belarus! We are half way through and its all proving that their track on The Pogues comp was no fluke as Всё Crazy rattle along very nicely with ‘Завязал’ (I Quit Drinking) up next and the diversity on this album is what is standing out here for me. По Морям flows together seamlessly even though they change style and tradition from song to song (and sometimes mid song like here) but it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the album at all. Никогда (Never) is the shortest song on the album and strays into country territory somehow. More dual male/female vocals top it off grand and if I did have the tiniest tiniest wee quibble it would be that they could maybe have turned the electric guitar up a wee bit but that is very much a personal thing I’d agree. The album’s sole ballad follows and ‘Потомки правой руки’ (Descendants of the Right Hand) is not quite Poguesy but almost as it builds up and up becoming one of those swirling around the dance floor pints in the air kind of songs. They save the best for last and speed it up for ‘Частушки матросские’ (Sailor’s Limericks) before final song  ‘Д.С.П.’ (St. Patrick’s Day) brings the curtain down on this super album.

So ten songs with no covers and over forty minutes of quality celtic-punk music that demands to be heard from all with a interest in celtic music. They have taken celtic music and added their take on it and made something really interesting. We have waxed lyrically before about how wonderful we find it that celtic-punk has gone international over the last few years. Gone are the days when celtic-punk was solely played in the places where the Irish or other Celts settled and these days some of the best bands in the scene are not only from Canada or Australia or the USA but place like Belarus or Indonesia or Brazil. They deserve a fair hearing and we really hope you give them a try you won’t be disappointed.

(listen to the whole album by pressing play on the Soundcloud player below)

Buy The Album

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Contact The Band

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you can get a free download of the Tribute To The Pogues compilation album starring Всё Crazy here. Twenty seven bands from over a dozen countries and near ninety minutes of the best celtic-punk from some of the best celtic-punk bands in the scene today and yes you read that right it’s all for FREE!

ALBUM REVIEW: TRIBUTE TO THE POGUES- Various Artists (2016)

A huge compilation of songs written by the world’s #1 Celtic-Punk band as covered by today’s generation of modern celtic-punk bands from every single corner of the world!

FREE DOWNLOAD!

We were sent this brilliant album by our good mate Vladimir, who also did the fantastic artwork and also seems to do the artwork for most Celtic-Punk releases in Russia, just before St Patrick’s Day. I had to warn him that we wouldn’t be able to do it justice in time to put a review up on release day as we would all be in the pub busy celebrating our Irish ancestry so here a few days late is our opinion on this years must hear compilation album.

As far as I know this is the first international tribute to the Godfathers of Celtic-Punk – THE POGUES! Everything we hold dear in Celtic-Punk comes out of the influence of The Pogues and their seminal and legendary front man Shane MacGowan. What they mean to Celtic-Punk is unmeasurable and the only question you must ask of this album is whether or not this is a worthy tribute to them or not and the answer is of course is that it most definitely, certainly  is!!! The whole thing clocks in at nearly ninety minutes and has 27 bands from right across the entire globe with just about every corner covered. The list of countries here goes from the obvious ones like the USA, Norway, England, Italy, to some ones that may surprise you like Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic,  and Russia to some that will downright shock you like Indonesia, Ukraine or Belarus. They have all combined to bring you The Pogues most popular London Irish ballads from the era of safety pins, ripped jeans and disheveled hair!

Now this has been put together by our mucker and artist Vladimir from Novosibirsk in Russia and has a whole host of bands that are both new to us as well as some that are already firm favourites. It would be pointless here to go too far into the history of the songs as they are surely known to even the slightest fan of The Pogues. The whole thing kicks off with one of The Pogues least known songs ‘Curse Of Love’, which was a bonus track on the Hell’s Ditch re-issue album, by Indonesian band The Cloves And The Tobacco. They recently released a new album and it has been making huge waves across the international Celtic-Punk scene and it is a fantastic start and swiftly followed by ShamRocks from the Ukraine and Dzieciuki from Belarus before the London Irish very own The Craicheads weigh in with ‘Sally MacLennane’. They give it plenty of oompf and one of The Pogues fastest ever songs is delivered more than safely with a hint of country and bluegrass. Next up is easily one of the most inventive bands in the whole scene, and one of my own personal favourites, from California are Craic Haus playing ‘A Pair Of Brown Eyes’. You won’t have heard another band like them in the world of Celtic-Punk I can guarantee it. They have even invented their own genre called ‘Shamrockabilly’ and though their usual Rock’n’Roll may be a little lacking on this track it is still outstanding and worthy of you checking out the rest of their back catalogue. Another bunch of my favourite bands roll up next playing some of my fave Pogues songs. A good combination indeed. Happy Ol’ McWeasel from Slovenia doing ‘Sunny Side of the Street’ with the band I once described as being a cross between The Exploited and The Chieftains Middle Class Bastards from Russia next with ‘Big City’, Ukrainian band O’Hamsters sing ‘The Sick Bed of Cuchulain’ before possibly the album’s biggest band The Greenland Whalefishers from Norway chipping in with a brilliant version of ‘Birmingham Six’. A couple of bands I don’t know follow with Kelush and the Bastards (feat. Chris Dutchak) from the Ukraine with an absolutely fantastic skate punk ‘Fairytale of New York’ before Harley McQuinn from Russia nails it with ‘London Girl’. Keeping just enough of the originals Rock’n’Roll sound before adding some great guitars and gang vocals. Czech’s Benjaming’s Clan and Italians Dirty Artichokes are both bands that have impressed us here over the years and you could almost call them Celtic-Punk veterans compared to some of the groups here! Russian band The Real Blackbeards I don’t know but they present a great fun pirate version of ‘Sea Shanty’. Americans CRAIC are another big hitter here and they also do a Hell’s Ditch classic ‘Sayonara’ and is one of the many album highlights. Troty hail from Poland and are one of the few bands with a female vocalist. They give us a faultless Polish version of Bottle of Smoke while Hell’s Ditch is revisited again by another Indonesian band Forgotten Generation with ‘Rain Street’ and again it is absolutely superb. Amach  I don’t know but they offer up ‘Transmetropolitan’ and bloody great in its simplicity it is too. They come from the Crimea and like the best bands here they don’t over complicate things but just add a twist to add their own stamp to the songs. Yet another Indonesian band pops up next and The Working Class Symphony give it plenty in their cover of ‘Fiesta’. Never one of my favourite songs but this version bloody rocks and I have fallen for it big time. Like all the Indonesian bands here they play traditional Irish folk influenced punk and is so well played you would think they were all Irish if heard them on the radio! БНД I can’t even pronounce their name but ‘Boys From County Hell’ keeps up the high standard while The Humble Hooligans are a band I only got into recently and these Californians give Turkish Song of the Damned a right auld kicking complete with proper authentic moans and wails. Great accordion leads and Troy’s perfect vocals mark them out as a band to watch out for. Red Box from Russia again I don’t know but offer up a decent ‘If I Should Fall from Grace with God’ before Rum Rebellion from Portland, USA serve up an epic ‘Boat Train’. Been fans of these for a long time and they do not disappoint. Всё_CRAZY are from Belarus and their ‘My Baby’s Gone’ is another album highlight. Taken from the first post-Shane Pogues album Waiting For Herb it’s a brave choice and fits in and works perfectly. We are nearing the end of the album and the last band I know here is the marvellous Moscow Celtic Punk group Drunken Fairy Tales. Keep an eye out soon for the review of their new EP it’s both fantastic and free to download! Crow Dog Clan have another brave choice with ‘Oretown’ from the final (non-Shane) Pogues album Pogue Mahone. They take the song and give it a real shake to come up with something outstanding. Almost gothic country its actually great to hear something not so celtic. Finally the album comes to a sad end with Kozlobar from Russia bringing down the curtain on this amazing tribute with the mental instrumental ‘Battle of Brisbane’.

Well what to say now in summing up. With 27 bands you’d think their would at least be a few duffers here but you’d be mistaken. I’m sure if their were any they ended up on the cutting floor as from beginning to end the whole thing is simply fantastic. From the selection of bands to the bands own selection of songs this is as good as it could have possibly have mine. Yes this is kinda dominated by eastern European groups but it has been put together by a Russian guy and I for one am glad its not dominated by American bands. If Celtic-Punk exists and is to prosper beyond The Pogues/Dropkicks/Molly’s then it must also exist outside the countries of the Irish/Celtic diaspora like the States, Canada, Australia or England. Compilations serve a purpose in introducing you to new bands and if there was a problem in celtic-punk it is that far too many people think the scene these days revolves solely around the Dropkicks or The Molly’s. I am sure this album will introduce everyone hearing it to today’s generation of bands that are carrying the torch for Shane and his buddies and not only that but will inspire another generation of fans as well.

Tracklist

1. The Cloves and The Tobacco feat. Cathy Shannon – Curse of Love

2. ShamRocks – Wild Unicorns of Kilkenny (Wild Cats of Kilkenny)

3. Dzieciuki – Не Саскочу! (Streams Of Whiskey)

4. Craicheads – Sally MacLennane

5. Craic Haus – A Pair of Brown Eyes

6. Happy Ol’ McWeasel – Sunny Side of the Street

7. Middle Class Bastards – Big City

8. O’Hamsters – Лiжко Кухулiна (The Sick Bed of Cuchulain)

9. Greenland Whalefishers – Birmingham Six

10. Kelush and the Bastards feat. Chris Dutchak – Fairytale of New York

11. Harley McQuinn – London Girl

12. Benjaming’s Clan – The House of Gods

13. Dirty Artichokes – The Rake at the Gates of Hell

14. Real Blackbeards – Пират и Колдун (Sea Shanty)

15. CRAIC – Sayonora

16. Troty – Butelka Smoke (Bottle of Smoke)

17. Forgotten Generation – Rain Street

18. Amach – Transmetropolitan

19. The Working Class Symphony – Fiesta

20. БНД – Boys From County Hell

21. The Humble Hooligans – Turkish Song of the Damned

22. Red Box – If I Should Fall from Grace with God

23. Rum Rebellion – Boat Train

24. Всё_CRAZY – Ты Ушла (My Baby’s Gone)

25. Drunken Fairy Tales – Плот “Медузы” (The Wake of the Medusa)

26. Crow Dog Clan – Oretown

27. Kozlobar – The Battle of Brisbane

So there you have it. Don’t forget to tell all your friends about it now! Share it with all you know and let the world enjoy this superb free compilation! And a happy (belated) St. Patrick’s Day to you!!!

(you can listen to the entire record here for free by pressing play on the Bandcamp player below and follow the link below that to get the download)

Download The Album- Bandcamp

(any problem with Bandcamp then you should try here)