Poisk seti: Big Bad Sharks... and Emoticons

"Poisk seti" are a young Moscow foursome who have just published a free EP entitled "Study As You Should!" (Uchites' kak nado!") - hence the grumpy schoolgirl on the front cover.  The seven-track, twenty-minute recording is available for free downloading, primarily through the Mimonot netlabel.

The band's name is rather tricky to translate into English without sounding clunky; "Web Search" would appear to be a reasonable option - in the sense of seeking a wireless signal, for example.  The band themselves offer no help here; although they are well-represented on all the social networking sites, and have a good selection of (rough-sounding) video clips on YouTube, in essence the same small Russian-language promo text is all that's on offer.

The group declare themselves the product of "the new wave of British rock that swept across the world in 2007...  We play memorable melodies with loads of energy.  The kind of rhythmic patterns that'll get you dancing!  In international music charts, bands like The Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, and The Hives occupy the top spots."  Poisk seti declare themselves worthy of playing the same role - with the same style - in Russia.

Confidence is clearly not a problem.  Even when it comes to recent dental work.

Despite this clear-cut, happy-go-lucky introduction, things start sounding strange: "Just like the inhabitants of the ocean's depths, Poisk seti swim in the ocean of music.  The band is like a coldblooded shark in search of its prey.  That's why we move smoothly from melancholic, lyrical rock to songs with a lot more drive.  These kind of changes happen easily for us; just like smiling emoticons change smoothly into tears - and back again - when they're sent all around the web."

A general air of confusion descends slowly over the proceedings.

And then we notice the band's new logo, shown below on a poster from a few days ago.  With its depiction of a shark ensnared in fishing nets, it's clear that the group's name - although commonly used with regard to the internet - now contains maritime connotations, too (the word "set'" in Russian covers both meanings).

A slightly easier pun might be advisable before world domination begins.

In the meanwhile, The Arctic Monkeys parallels are more than justified.

And who wouldn't want to look like a pale and skinny northerner?