We’re reviving our indie bands to watch series now for 2019, and into 2020 (such a sci-fi number), by popular demand and because we have many to share that you’ll probably hear nowhere else.
For a few months now, we’ve been listening to the compelling DIY indie rock of Ukranian five-piece band Blake Maloka.
The band hails from the capital city of Киев (Kyiv or formerly Kiev), established in Ukraine in 462 A.D. It is the most populous city in Ukraine.
The song that initially got us listening to the band is the unconventional slow pop-rock number, “The Party’s Over.”
It features suave melodies and the nasal vocals of founding member, and astrophysicist, Serge Kuskov (vocals, guitars, synths). He co-founded the band in 2013 with visual artist and bassist Artem Kaffelman.
The track is marked by uptempo bass lines, mood-changing piano parts, experimental guitar solos and a beat that is hard to resist. You can’t help but sense the astrophysical influences (aka, sci-fi or space rock) running through the song.
Another song, “Dazzle In The Dark,” is mysteriously, and paradoxically, comforting and strangely unsettling at the same time. And that’s always intriguing.
There’s a Beatlesque, circa 1967, effect to the song. The band succeeds nicely with an otherwise complex arrangement featuring angling guitars and bumping basslines. Both tracks are from the 2017 album, Blaker Than Black.
The other band members are Nina Antonyuk (bass); Yura Ivanov (backing vocals, guitars); Sergey Morev (drums) and Valery Paliarush (piano, synths).
More recently, Blake Maloka dropped a tiny three-song E.P., this time shifting gears again with a trio of chameleon-like songs starting with “Nikita”.
The track starts out as a lo-fi, sparse acoustic piece before transforming into a full-blown experimental indie track. It blooms with currents of reverb-heavy vocals; swirling guitars; wavy vocals, and a glimmering synth hook.
Next is the minimalistic, experimental and quirky new wave/pop track, “Moi et Mes Amis.” It may remind some of the old Dr. Demento radio show from years ago.
There are bits of sci-fi space rock on here as well. The short E.P. wraps up with the dark rock of “Naked,” that stews in a soup of sonic dystopia, and reminds some of Arctic Monkeys’ style.
The band’s sound leans heavily on guitars riffs of 60’s garage rock and late-20th century/early 21st-century indie rock, not to mention their socially critical lyrics that are rich with irony and sarcasm.
Their musical influences include The Strokes, Eels, Stereophonics, Temples, Beck, and Radiohead. These influences are represented in Blake Maloka’s sound – much more like nice recipes with bits of each to produce an original sound.
The astute listener may also detect elements of the Velvet Underground and the Cure on one of the band’s first singles: the semi-industrial grungey demo-like, “Propaganda,” which despite its stripped-down nature, is transfixing.
Then there’s the surprising experimental number, “Just A Wind,” in which the lyrics are much clearer and the instrumentation – along with Kuskov’s vocals – creates a breezy, almost jazzy summer afternoon vibe.
The more that one listens to the band’s songs, the more it becomes evident that the band does not have one sound or genre.
For some, that’s not an issue, while others – like some reviewers – may struggle with a need to pigeonhole the band.
It’s one of the things we, and others, love about indie rock: an artist is permitted, actually encouraged, to mix whatever sounds, genres, instruments, and so on as they please to come up with something fresh and original.
Amazing music that is free from commercial confines is so much better (for real) than the vast majority of the cookie-cutter, formatted, mass-marketed shit that comes out of Hollywood’s music factories and pollutes the airwaves every year.
There are places for bands like Blake Maloka to get plays and love for indie listeners – such as this blog.
The band also seeks to “build bridges between people of various nationalities and cultural backgrounds,” their official bio reads, continuing: “The band believes that borders are artificial constructs drawn by politicians. The injustice they create is one of the things they sing about.”
We like that they come across as unpretentious and sincere, which are just some of the traits that draw people to certain bands, in addition to the music itself.
Listen to more Blake Maloka on Bandcamp
