Zemfira crawls to the shore
And I like, you know, when it’s not politics that is discussed en masse, but art. Music, for example. It’s a pity that this happens rarely, but here’s a chance - Zemfira has released a new album. "Borderline". That's right - a new studio album.
At one time, Zemfira with one kick of her foot (or a guitar chord) - “hello, daisies!” – burst not just into music, but into the cultural space. And she registered there with the status of a cult character. It seems like everyone listened to that debut album – its colorful cover. Different ages, different layers. As we previously listened to, in my opinion, one of the main albums of the 90s, “Morskaya” by the group “Mumiy Troll”. Actually, its leader Ilya Lagutenko, as well as producer Leonid Burlakov, did a lot for Zemfira’s success.
And then everyone went their own way. Mumiy Troll was updated, did not grow old and regularly released records. But Zemfira already became something of a classic from her second album and was in no hurry with new works. It felt like she was tired. From your talent, first of all. It happens. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys won't let you lie.
So when listening to “Borderline,” you get the feeling that the singer, despite the 8-year break, has not yet really rested - she has not reset herself. Talent is pressing. At the same time, in my opinion, “Borderline” is absolutely the best record recorded in Russian in the last – hmm, many – years. You should definitely listen to it not casually, but as thoughtfully as possible. Not background music, but depth music, filling inside and out, recorded as high quality as possible today.
At the same time, if we draw analogies with texts (I am still a writer), then “Borderline” is a kind of hypertext, full of links, references, repetitions, self-repetitions; Moreover, not from the fact that there was nothing to say, but from the desire to bring everything together, to create some kind of ideal canvas in which you can comfortably exist for another 8-10 years. If anyone could give birth to something like this, it would be Zemfira (who, by the way, I don’t consider one of my favorite performers).
But with all this perfection, the record does not have what this performer had previously - the power of a person who speaks his last word, easily, naturally, with talent. Some will call this freshness, others inspiration – that’s not the point. But there is a Spirit, and it breathes where it wants. Unfortunately, in Zemfira’s new record, for all its perfection, this Spirit (not in the biblical sense, of course) rarely appears.
By the way, there is another analogy – a musical one. It was partly reminiscent of the torment of Axl Rose from Guns'n'roses, when, having parted with the rest of the band members, he spent a long and tedious period - 13 years - writing "Chinese Democracy". It turned out, in my opinion, a masterpiece. But the fans didn’t really appreciate it, preferring the debut – furious and raw – Appetite for destruction. Not only because it is a debut, but also because it contains the Intangible characteristic of great art, which is impossible for a person to invent.
As for Zemfira being discussed by everyone and everything. She certainly deserves it. And this discussion once again demonstrates how little real music we have. In such cases they say “if there is no fish, then there is cancer – a fish.” So be it. But Zemfira is more likely not a cancer, but the Queen of the Sea. It's gratifying that she finally crawled ashore. Okay, okay - she came out royally.
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