Retsepti--რეცეპტი--Reissue of Powerful Georgian Post-Punk band

I found out about Retsepti accidentally, when I was buying a Pointed Sticks Xmas single from La-Ti-Da records. I was browsing their website and was looking at the Supreme Echo catalog, a reissue label that they help distribute. They put an album out by a Georgian band.

The City reined by Wolves

So I saw the 2006 anthology CD by Retsepti that they put out and I really thought that it would be worth listening to, though I had no idea what I would be getting precisely. Buying music blindly can be a hit or miss proposition, obviously. I had heard no hype from any source about this recording, but as it turns out my musical intuitions panned out. Though the vocals are all in Georgian, which leaves me at a bit of a disadvantage, this is a strong collection of post/punky new wave goodness. And though you can certainly make comparisons to other bands, this is by no-means cookie-cutter imitative music.





The first thing I noticed of course was the elaborate packaging. I have to imagine that it wasn't easy for this project to come to fruition for a label in British Columbia, Canada to release an album from a former Soviet Republic halfway around the world. Jason Flower at Supreme Echo states in the liner notes that "this has been the most challenging and painstaking release to-date." And no doubt there was, beyond a belief in the powerful music of Retsepti, a great deal of economic bravery. If this was a movie instead of an album, which required getting backers to fund it, the concept alone would probably doom this to a thumbs-down. Who would be your market for this, who would buy this release? Not even where's the single here. So obviously a labor of love--a recording that they felt the world needed to hear, and I am in complete agreement. You have to admire people who undertake projects like this. Clearly this collection was intended for an English speaking audience. The song lyrics have been translated into English. There apparently was some restoration work that needed to be done on the music, but as far as questions exist about the sonic quality of the recordings, the music sounds pretty good for me. Nothing was added or dubbed in.

Of course, playing this sort of music must have entailed a great deal of bravery and idealism in the face of oppression. The consequences of speaking your mind over there is probably incomprehensible to a person like me living in the USA.

The Band:
Lado Burduli--lead vocals, guitar
Zaza Sakhamberidze--guitar
Kakha "Josef" Gugushvili--bass
Shalva Khakhanashvili--keyboards
Vova Vardaniani-drums
Sandro "Kirpicha" Kapanadze--saxophone

In trying to describe the band, its almost hard to pin them down, because the songs were recorded over a number of years, and stylistically the songs vary a bit. What is consistent however, are the powerful, tortured, angst-filled vocals of Lalo Burduli. These guys really meant business judging by the music. That must have been a pretty tough era to live through--though the yoke of being a republic in the Soviet union was thrown off during their existence, the transition must have been harsh. As far as the music goes, the band play their instruments with a great deal of competence, with some fairly spectacular guitar work. In a lot of ways the songs I like best on the collection remind me of Adrian Borland and the Sound, or maybe The Chameleons UK. They remind me of early Wire in some places. One of the songs with saxophones had a sort of pop quality that made me think he may have been a Bowie fan. But overall, there is a beautifully ominous tension to the music and when combined with Burduli's fervent singing, there is some great music being made. This album was way way better than my expectations.



There is a long interview with Burduli in the liner notes, very interesting. He definitely seems to be a lifer, rebellious, independent in his opinions, unrepentant yet still a little idealistic. I spent only a few days in Georgia in the 1980's when it was still a CCR, and I was pretty amazed by the country, the culture, the people, the great cuisine and wine. I had an idea of how things were in Russia but for me Armenia and Georgia were a blank page for me--I had no preconceived ideas. I guess I was smitten in the same way Russian writers over the past centuries have spent time in this area to the South and written about it. So maybe that was why I was drawn to this recording initially. But ultimately I was rewarded with my purchase because this music is pretty terrific.

Of course, what is interesting to me may not be to you. This music might not be for everybody, but if you like to hear new things (or in this case a new old thing), this might be just thing to give your jaded ears some relief.

Tbilisi On My Mind--Rustavi Choir--Traditional Psychedelic Choral Music from Georgia

Georgia  (aka საქართველო) is a country located on the cusp of Europe and Asia which I visited on a Russian tour in the 1980's, when Georgia was one of the 16 SSRs in the former Soviet Confederation. When I visited Russia I had a good idea what to expect in St Petersburg (then Leningrad) and Moscow. But the Caucasian countries were a complete wild card. I went in knowing the itinerary only, and didn't know anything at all about Georgia (or Armenia, which I also visited). For most Americans, these places did not even exist. Overall, I really enjoyed my time in these places and was struck by their distinct cultures. I know that economically and politically there was a lot of turmoil in these areas, as there still are in the present day. When I went on my trip the Soviet Union still existed, though attempting economic reform through Gorbachev's Perestroika program. We wound up seeing a lot of capitalistic agricultural markets on this trip.

I did not realize until I got to Georgia that it was really like being in a separate and distinct country. Though I saw Soviet troops patrolling, it was a Georgian country and did not in any way bear resemblance to the places I had been to. I thought Tbilisi was a beautiful city, at least in the central area, with buildings perched on a cliff overhanging the Kura river, the ornate facade of the opera house, wrought balconies on narrow cobble stoned streets connected by grape vines running from one side to the other. In addition to the small domed buildings which turned out to be bath houses, I remember seeing mosques and synagogues downtown in addition to churches. And this was what was supposed to be an atheist state. I remember the crumbling ancient city walls. But I do know that there was little love for the Russian presence then. And though they are independent today, their giant neighbor to the North is still an overwhelming presence.

This is an ancient culture with long standing traditions. They have their own language which has its own distinct characters. They have their own branch of the Orthodox Church and the country was Christianized in the 4th century A.D before almost any other countries. I have to say that their cuisine is fantastic--it was one of the highlights of my trip to the Soviet Union. They also made some pretty good white wine as I recall. I even made the cheese bread Khachapuri the other night for dinner. A bit heavy but still delicious. It's nice to see a small place like this being able to hold on to who they are in this increasingly globalized world.

My trip piqued my interest enough to invest in a Cd by The Rustavi Choir entitled Georgian Voices. They are a male polyphonic choir and I find the music to be arrestingly beautiful and quite psychedelic, in a totally old school religious way. Listening to a record like this affects my consciousness. It gives me a strange buzz. I start imagining I am in a church in the 4th century, or listening to old tales around the table after a huge banquet. Mostly the music is unaccompanied here and surprisingly the music is relatively varied. The people who decided what the contents of the album made a conscious effort to include different types of songs that originated in different areas of the country. Some of the songs contain ululating lead vocals with the rest of the choir acting in counterpoint. Also they have people singing in very low voices and high voices at the same time.The combination of these sounds creates a fairly amazing effect. You can't help but feel that this music is like the lifeblood of a people--when you listen to this it's like the singers are saying, "this is who we are".

Some songs are deeply religious such as the opening song Tsmindao Chmerto "Holy God". Other songs are vibrant and forceful like Odoya. Just judging from the descriptions listed, music must have been incorporated into all facets of traditional life in Georgia. Working, plowing, traveling, eating, praying,marrying--all represented in song on this Cd alone. Mival Guriashi "Going to Guria" is a quiet ballad with a great deal of human tenderness. Ali-Pasha is a real psychedelic gem, with ululations and buzzy harmonies. For some reason the harmonies remind me a little of the Kinman brothers (Rank and File, Dils). Orovela is a sad plaintive lament, basically a solo performance. When you hear a song like Chakrulo it seems like time is standing still. The finale Guruli Naduri, is a simply brilliant kitchen sink number, where seemingly a lot of the disparate elements of the Georgian tradition are conveniently incorporated in one number. An interesting album I think, not for everyone, but another fairly ballsy release for the eclectic Nonesuch label. I mean I'm not hearing a hit single here.