The Russians "Crashing The Party"

A few doors down from fellow Bostonian Oranjuly is a five-piece alt rock band called The Russians. Lead by frontman Scott Janovitz (former Gram Parker sideman),  the band is a neo-psychedelic delight. The ironically named “The Record’s Over” sounds like a Beatles meets Flaming Lips hybrid, it’s a brilliant standout track.  Each strum and slow beat strings together random thoughts like “Weren’t we listening to The Beach Boys and dreaming?” 

The songs float along a dreamscape that draws the listener in right away like the laid back “Taking To Yourself” with catchy hooks that draw comparisons to Ken Stringfellow.  The subtle groove on “Sober and Un-Upsetting” leads to a wonderful horn filled break and multi-track chorus. It shifts in tone from slow ballad pop to alt. country, synth-pop all have flavors from his previous experiences with Parker, The Figgs and others. It gets a bit meandering at times, but ultimately satisfying with strong melodic tracks like the acoustic “Measure Out Our Space” and Big Star influenced “Make It Easy.” The album ends with the slow anthemic “Lovesickholiday,” a hidden gem with it’s sweet harmonies and not one single filler here. A highly recommended headphones album if there ever was one.