Okean Elzi surfing the waters of Ukrainian rock

Hot band serves up pop with a little bit of crackle - a welcome change from the whiny drone of mainstream Russian pop

Ukrainian pop music – the very words are enough to send shivers down the spine. The vast majority of pop inspires imagery of cotton candy, saccharine sweetness and other artificial anomalies that leave a nasty taste in your mouth.

Okean Elzi, however, has a different thing going on. While even the group members concede that what they play is definitely pop, this band at least has a rough edge. In fact the band sounds closer to Russian sensation Zemfira or Brit Pop than the syrup that makes up the majority of the domestic market.

Everything from Okean Elzi’s fashionably disheveled haircuts to their ill-fitting shirts seems more at home on the alternative scene than Ukraine’s glamorous and talentless divas who hip teens love to hate.

Okean Elzi’s image seems to be selling. Not only have they risen from relative obscurity to commercial success in the space of a few years, but they are one of the two groups that sing in Ukrainian ever to break into the Russian market. Okean Elzi and VV are the only two groups that sing in Ukrainian to make it in Russian.

Okean Elzi is the only Ukrainian band featured on the successful soundtrack of Brat 2, a Russian blockbuster released last spring.

The band, originally from Lviv, hasn’t let their stardom go to their heads – yet – and has maintained the modest mannerisms of most Ukrainian stars. They were eager to do an interview, showed up on time and had none of the affectations that we assume all stars suffer from. They even made the coffee (well, Nescafe) themselves.

Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, the band’s vocalist, is the de facto leader of the group. He doesn’t look the part. He is slightly older than the rest and looks more like a traditional rocker, dressed in black with a sturdy build, round face and longish, scraggly hair.

Vakarchuk says he isn’t concerned with keeping up with what music is hip for the week. “It’s tough to keep track of fashionable music,” he said. “I’d have to spend all my money on albums and all my time in lines.”

Judging by his appearance and constantly changing hair color, guitarist Pasha Hudimov pays more attention to current fads, but he claims to be more concerned with setting trends than following them. “You really don’t need to know what is fashionable in order to be fashionable,” he said.

The other two members of the group, bass player Yury Khustochka and drummer Denis Glinin, have personalities not unlike their instruments. They stay in the background while the two charismatic, talkative members remain decidedly in the front. Still, everyone in the group has influence on the music they produce, and they all get along well.

“We had a summit meeting yesterday; we’re having one now,” said Vakarchuk, only half jokingly. “Everyday is a musical summit for our group.”

Since getting together in 1994, their musical style has evolved considerably. At first they had a punk sound, which Hudimov dismisses as the period before they learned how to play together. Their personal tastes diverged, and Vakarchuk claimed, “If you asked all four of us to name our favorite groups, you would have every group that’s ever done anything in the world.”

Vakarchuk lists Massive Attack and Radiohead among his favorites. These tastes might sound outdated but, he argues, “Good music can wait. Why do people need to

listen to it only when it has just been released?”

Hudimov said he is currently going through a jazz phase.

The music Okean Elzy has recorded as a mature group has a consistent Brit Pop sound to it, comparable to certain songs by Blur. Starting with the popular “Tam De Nas Nema” (Where We Aren’t Are) in 1998, the song became a hit across the CIS. Their last album Yananebibuv (I am in the Sky) is a chart-topper both here and in Russia, according to Gala Radio’s DJ Pasha. “Okean Elzy found its niche with that European sound,” said DJ Pasha. “Tam De Nas Nema even got airtime in France.”

Brat 2, a film about a war between the Russian and Ukrainian mafia, has kept the positive publicity coming. In the film, Okean Elzi’s song “Kavachai” (Coffee Tea) plays as the Ukrainians are arming themselves to go kill some Russian bandits.

The song was simply plucked from their last album, and the group has no illusions that the whole affair was nothing but a commercial deal. But it helped make Yananebibuv the hit it is in Russia.

They also have no delusions about much of the music they’ve made until now. However, having achieved fame, they now feel free to explore more nuances in their music. They seem eager to transcend pop music and escape the Brit Pop label.

“We’ve had success, gotten our name out,” said Hudimov, “now we have the chance to create more difficult music.”

Vakarchuk agreed. “I wouldn’t say we’ve done anything revolutionary yet, but we might,” he said, pausing before adding, “I hope.”

Their diverse skills certainly will help. They put on good live shows, but also have clever videos and songs that get constantly spun on the radio, as well. An active PR agency that barrages Kyiv’s media with informational faxes every time a group member goes to the bathroom helps, too. Clearly, the down-to-earth band understands the importance of marketing.

In Ukraine, nobody knows quite how to classify Okean Elzi. “At last year’s Tavria Games, the band was nominated for both best pop group, which they won, and best rock group of the year,” said DJ Pasha. “They combine styles in a way that just isn’t done here.”

This originality extends beyond the border, too. “Most Ukrainian groups are just pale imitations of some [earlier] Russian act,” Vakarchuk said.

“What we do is new, and that is why people are interested in us. In Russia, they even translate us, which means they must be curious about our work.”

However, Okean Elzi is in no rush to put out another album. They don’t want to just churn out albums with two or three hit songs that are destined to be forgotten. “We don’t cater to people who want a hit parade,” Vakarchuk said.

Besides, joked Hudimov, people have already started buying their most recent single Oto Bula Vesna (It Was Spring), so there is no need to throw together an album.

In the meantime, they are trying to insulate themselves from outside influences. Whether this means the group’s sound will move away from the Brit Pop sound that currently dominates their work is known only to themselves.

“I used to think that I needed to know more, listen to everything available,” said Vakarchuk. “Now I think less is more.”

Whether their fans agree will only be clear with their next album’s release.