Hello (and Goodbye As Well) -or- ¡Forward, Russia! Will Indeed Steal Your Heart

This is my first venture into the world of music blogging.

I am an avid reader of many music blogs myself (Gorilla vs. Bear, The Rich Girls Are Weeping, Music (For Robots), and the like), but until recently I had never considered writing about music myself. On a rather strange whim that came over me tonight, however, I decided that I should very much like to try my hand at the art.

Really, I don't have a whole lot going for me to gain any kind of readership. I have no special connections in the music world. Others would probably consider my taste in music only somewhat appealing (see my last.fm profile). Few shows come to my area (Columbia, MO isn't exactly the most kickin' place on earth). Despite all this, however, I have decided that it could not hurt to try.

So, on to the music.

I have decided that I shall call to attention a band that I find exceedingly interesting. ¡Forward, Russia!'s musical style is really rather different than any other band that I've ever heard. The lyrics are cryptic and hard to understand. The songs seem erratic. They use ordinary rock instruments in very unordinary These things add to their unique style. Granted, I am by no means any authority on music, but in my opinion their music is of the most creative I've heard recently.

It is for this reason that I disliked this band when I first heard them. It's true I may not have been really paying much attention the first time I played through their album, "Give Me a Wall." This may be why I did not like it at all. I suspect other factors may have contributed to my initial opinion of their music, though. Human nature seems to belligerently oppose that which it has never before encountered. By the second play the music had grabbed me. Listen to these songs a few times, and maybe they will grab you too.

¡Forward, Russia! - Thirteen
¡Forward, Russia! - Sixteen