Havalina Rail Co. is a band of artistic musicians that are ahead of their time, and should proudly bear the honor of being called avant garde. Their latest release, Russian Lullabies, is a daring musical masterpiece, driven by the central theme of lost love capitolizing on symbolism of the cold Siberian tundra.
If an artist was searching for popularity, the direction that Havalina has gone would be to his disliking. In a day where music is processed, instead of formed, Havalina has gone their own route, striving to make their own path in a snow blown industry. Russian Lullabies is for anyone who enjoys a musical adventure.
With song titles like "The Lovesick Blues of a Young Soviet Proletariat" and "Rivers of Russia", listeners are transported quickly to a distant and cold land. Russian Lullabies carries a mystical mood of searching for love, gripping the listener with sounds and images of a frozen land. Picture yourself talking to a young man from Russia, who's social class lies among those who labor for a living and is seeking desperately for love.
"I was all alone, in a place I'd never known. Beautiful and lovely, how brightly it shown. And then I thought of you, and our love so true. I searched and searched a lovely place, but you were not in view." - "Nathan's Song"
Russian Lullabies is driven by an array of musical instruments and musicians. The actual band not only consists of drums, guitar, and bass. It also contains the washboard, saxophone, violin, and more percussion. Then, add a side group of musicians who go by the name of "The Latino All Stars" and you have added the cello, flute, and more percussion. What is the result? Beautifully composed dreamy pieces, arranged to provoke your heart to follow them in their passionate moods.
Havalina Rail Co.'s quirkiness is very infectious. At times the music seems to have a slight swing, eerie at one moment, then suddenly turning peppy, while holding to a melancholic mood. All the while, it strays from committing itself to any particular style. The most accurate description I've heard, placed on Russian Lullabies, is Siberian Swing Core. Original in it's description and original in it's sound, I have honestly become addicted to this album.
"... If the robin would fly to the barn, winter would be alright. Winter comes in lowly, she walks in slowly, and your eyes, they shine like the sun. And what's the use in lie'n, when I know you know I care. My Russian lullaby means that I'm forever there." - "Russian Lullaby"
It's a Havalina moon!
Other coverage for this album
Exit Zine 1999Reviewed by James M. BranumHavalina Rail Company is truly unique among bands in either the Christian or secular industries. And in their uniqueness, Havalina has created something truly special. In their latest album, Russian Lullabies, they incorporate elements of Russian folk music, rock, rockabilly, classical, and jazz, and yet never completely identify themselves with a particular genre. The album is a concept album…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Josh SpencerI read somewhere that the Co. studied traditional Russian music without actually listening to any, and then reproduced what they'd learned for this album. They do this with drums, plenty of background vocals, saxophone, violin, bass, male and female vocals, percussion, flute, a washboard, cello, xylophone, and guitars of varying types and tones (but usually not all at once)--their usual eclectic…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Shari LloydThe music on this album is described by the band as their attempt to do what Stravinsky once did for jazz. Without ever hearing jazz, he attempted to compose pieces based on what he had read about it. The music ended up nothing like jazz, and like nothing else either. In this case, one can definitely hear the Eastern influences in the music. Based on the romantic images they found in literature…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by James StewartI'm currently studying Russia in my history class so I was eager to hear this album - both to hear Havalina Rail Co's impression of Russian folk music and to explore the imagery they were reputed to employ here. To prepare for this album, the band studied Russian culture and music, without actually listening to any of the music, and mixed what they'd learned with their other influences to produce…Similar sounding releases
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