Vyacheslav Butusov / Вячеслав Бутусов

Two Russian web projects have combined resources to celebrate the (ongoing) career of Aquarium, arguably the nation's greatest rock band. The cover versions submitted thus far span a wide range of years and places.

Four recordings from Yekaterinburg, Ulan-Ude, Moscow, and Riga have different attitudes towards the social spheres they're hoping to impress. We offer two pessimists - and a couple of stubborn optimists.

Many bands are coming to terms with web-based distribution systems. Those same opportunities, however, lead some groups to wonder who exactly is listening. Thoughts of anonymity and a digital emptiness transpire.

Non Cadenza are a jazz-funk ensemble from St. Petersburg; Sevara Nazarkhan is an Uzbek chanteuse with success in the Russian crossover market. For all involved, though, the role of tradition remains vital.

Arguably the most widely-known fact (or assumption) with regard to PunkTV would be that the ensemble harbors an enduring love for the UK's Madchester scene of the 1990s. Although this Siberian band has long advertised itself as the "visiting card of Russia's indie-scene," their collective heart...

Viacheslav Butusov has been a notable figure in Russian music for more than twenty years, having formed his original band - Nautilus Pompilius - in Sverdlovsk just before the prominence of Soviet rock. Given the fickle nature of today's music business, however, rock's stately immobility and the...