Those who have been following the legal proceedings surrounding the recent arrest of members of Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot as closely as we have no doubt heard that band members Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich received two-year sentences today for the crime of “hooliganism.” Despite this terrible setback, neither Pussy Riot supporters in the international community nor the band themselves have given up the fight.
Those who have been following the legal proceedings surrounding the recent arrest of members of Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot as closely as we have no doubt heard that band members Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich received two-year sentences today for the crime of “hooliganism.” Despite this terrible setback, neither Pussy Riot supporters in the international community nor the band themselves have given up the fight. Amnesty International continues their campaign to have the jailed band members released (Lend your support here: ), and what’s even cooler than that is that the remaining members of the group have released a new single and video today. Premiered by British newspaper The Guardian only hours after the news of the sentencing broke, “Putin Lights Up The Fires” is an invigorating two and a half minute clip in which live footage of Pussy Riot performances and the protest that started this whole thing off are mixed in with stills and video clips taken during the legal proceedings in Russia. Clearly the higher visibility and media attention afforded by the trial have helped Pussy Riot gain access to better recording facilities as well, as the new song’s got by far the best production of any of the tracks they’ve released thus far.
And while I certainly will acknowledge that the implications where free speech and Russia’s turn towards a repressive, dictatorial regime are the most important aspects of this whole story, I can’t help but be really stoked about this new song on a strictly musical level. I compared earlier work of theirs to Blatz and early 80s UK hardcore, but the improved recording quality here is matched by a turn towards relative accessibility, incorporating a catchy punk hook into the chorus even as the guitars remain super-distorted. The vocals are still in Russian, and therefore incomprehensible to me, but they have a more musical quality too, shedding Blatz’s obnoxiousness for something that reminds me more of 90s era California hardcore group Naked Aggression. Punk rockers all over the world are gonna love this tune. Which raises a very important question: what label is going to step up and do an international release of a Pussy Riot LP? I’m sure I am far from the only one who would line up to buy one, especially if a portion of the profits was going to their legal defense fund. Someone make this happen. In the meantime, everyone enjoy this awesome song.
