|
The Just are from the distant yet sizable city of Novosibirsk, home to almost one and a half million people. Issue #1 when encountering their catalog is, for most listeners, the band's name. There's instant ambiguity as to whether the musicians mean "Just" in the sense of "Fair," or perhaps as a synonym of "Only" - in which case their moniker makes little sense.
In actuality, these musicians - Dima, Mary, and a couple of men known as Alex - hope to invoke both interpretations... together with any other possible significances.
This is not, at least initially, a matter of some credo that celebrates "multifaceted creativity": quite the opposite. The band members cannot even agree among themselves on the interpretation of their name - which surely begs the question as to how, why, and by whom it was chosen in the first place.
"Due to that one English word, the arguments never cease among these four musicians over how on earth people should translate their name. Some of the versions include 'Just' in terms of 'Fair' or 'Impartial,' 'Justified,' and 'Only/Barely.' What can be done to sort things out? None of the band members ever studied language beyond a few college courses... well, to be honest, Alex the drummer might have done, but he doesn't give a damn about which version is right."
Obfuscation as a form of fun.
"Despite all these hassles, the band has no trouble singing with confidence or playing better all the time." This contrary, yet well-disposed quartet has existed amid these states of acceptable variety or vagueness since May 2008. They now declare with some pride that they've found admirers not only in their home town, but also in the neighboring (smaller) cities of the region, such as Krasnoiarsk and Tomsk.
Despite all these hassles, the band has no trouble singing with confidence or playing better all the time.
An ensemble unwilling to bow low or long before any market-driven need for instant clarity or simplicity would logically play music of equal uniqueness, and indeed The Just make such claims. "The band's defining feature is probably their contemporary, top-notch sound, together with the variety of their set-list. They mix male and female vocals, English and Russian lyrics... It's all added to interesting arrangements and an appealing, unusual use of the keyboards."
They bend over backwards in order to maximize their abilities.
Somehow, The Just use these statements of uniqueness not in order to distance themselves from the mainstream, but - conversely - to offer primetime media the kind of variety it currently lacks. On their MySpace page, for example, they tag themselves as "melodic indie," in other words an embodiment of both harmony and difference. The forthcoming challenges will be considerable...
Looking to please both discerning aesthetes and the general public, all manner of influences find their way to the forefront of attention. The Just claim to soak up the heritage(s) of The Beatles, Led Zep, Nirvana, Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, Jethro Tull(!), The Spice Girls(!!), and others. Newcomers to their songs might also be inclined to namecheck the antique sway of Steely Dan or Supertramp, even, given their frequent combinations of both no-nonsense tunes and trickery.
This sort of knowing pop has already met with approval on the Russian web, at least among various netzines. Here's one especially enthusiastic response: "Listen up, all you lovers of high-quality and relevant music; here's the new EP from The Just. It looks like they spent the year really productively. There have been regular gigs around all of Novosibirsk's venues, a hands-down victory in the [local] 'Rock On 2009' competition, and constant studio work. It's great that the EP includes four songs that haven't been published anywhere; they have, however, been played live - and left a strong impression on those people who heard them."
If you shout loud and long enough, people will remember.
"Thanks to the choice of songs here, you could even say that the EP has a certain 'conceptual' feel to it. You might argue, of course, that each and every listener always brings their own 'concept' to the proceedings, but personally I think this would be the perfect soundtrack for a journey. A car journey. In an open convertible. With someone else. A journey to the seaside. We really need that kind of summer atmosphere right now, given how severe the winter has been here. Download the EP, give it a listen, forget about the winter cold... and start dreaming!"
Bearing in mind the location of Novosibirsk deep in the Russian wilderness - and the city's average January temperature of minus twelve degrees Celsius - any fool with an open convertible is not going to take a very long trip. In fact, the EP lasts just over 14 minutes: that, according to what we read in the Russian press, is how long one can drive and dream of the seaside, before Mother Nature sends you home again, in the general direction of the nearest radiator.
Or warm stage lights.
Another internet publication has even called The Just "one of Novosibirsk's best representatives on the indie scene." In the context of how many interesting outfits have come from the region over the last few years, this is not faint praise. "The band's output is in no way strident or shapeless; it's made from a balanced and delicate sound that brings together all manner of genres - and does so with a special warm-heartedness or lyrical flair."
The band's output is in no way strident or shapeless; it's made from a balanced and delicate sound that brings together all manner of genres - and does so with a special warm-heartedness or lyrical flair.
"What we've got here is a rock-solid piece of work, it's really well put together. They've managed to avoid reproducing anybody else's style. There's no sense of deja vu, which is surprising in that 'indie' as a genre has been practically exhausted. That's why so many indie collectives have turned to electronica as a way of introducing a modicum of variety... and reducing their general air of misery."
The Just, with a disdain for anything resembling gloominess, have also sidestepped epigonism and repetition, as already suggested, by using variegation twice over: both between and within their compositions. A couple of unrelated tracks on the EP are segued together with mere handclaps; as if with nothing more than a metronome to mark time, the musicians are able to end one composition, lay down their tools, pick up some others... and keep going in a different register.
It's a very appealing display of both zeal and a desire to surprise, which even finds expression lyrically. The EP's fourth and final track - arguably the best - is entitled "Lazy Feet." Rather than design this release in ways that work towards some polished, studied conclusion, the EP's running order instead leads us in the direction of a closing call - 0ver and over - to "move your lazy feet! Put up your hands now!"
And then, as the song skips towards the final fade, the question comes: "Do you hear how Venus is calling Mars?" In the aftermath of that query, it would seem that The Just's happy, disorderly celebrations of variety on the dancefloor do indeed embody a "concept." It's a willing acquiescence to change that - allegedly! - is enough to bring one's love life, if not several planets back into (long-lost) order. That has to be worth a try... even if it means 14 mins in an open-topped car at minus 12 degrees.
Comments
Login / Register