Doomed City —The Poetry of Simple Things (2019)

The prevailing conservative majority in Ukraine and throughout the world believes that changes are always for worse, or at least it is a strange game with a taste of treason. But in order to live in the modern world, we must accept the only constant — changes.

The sociopolitical reforms taking their own place even knowing that they have little to do with the Ukrainian underground. The listener progresses, the performer progresses. There were also changes in the progressive guys from Kharkiv 5R6, who now called themselves Doomed City. And these changes are not for worse. This ladies and gentlemen is a transformation with the taste of victory.

New album "The Poetry of Simple Things" is an incredible combination of the past progressive rock experience of the guys with the post-hardcore (the one that's Fugazi, not the one that... oh, we will not even speak of it) and the various oddly almost pop-influence. Everything does not look like it was before from the beginning till the end. Indeed, as if listening to an entirely new band, not the continuation of the story of one.

Instead of the progressive rock, there are a lot of "non-primitive rocking", that is, the magnificent almost dance themes that are interesting to listen in high-quality and not only with headphones at home. Mix it all with a good supply of material — success is guaranteed everywhere, where they know that besides primitive like 0-3-5, there is intellectual rock music. Dreamy dances? Intelligent slam. Office break? Yes, all this all is here.

A song "No Heroes" can safely be considered as one that is worthy of rotation somewhere in European radio. Everything is simple, difficult, interesting, but the motive is remembered so that is already possible to imagine how the students of MIT or Cambridge dance at the friendship fraternities. But there is also an intelligent aggression. Unsane blows through a dull ray through the sweet swings on the track "Will to Life".

Modern, but somehow preserved, the listener, judging by the reviews, was not fully prepared for such band changes. However, expanding the space of their own creativity through penetration into their own kicks is a manifestation of courage and commitment to change. So the audience is expanding, and the band's perception is widened at various angles, through the different prisms.

The lyrics of the band are increasingly affecting social phenomena, but not without a firm philosophical component. The most awesome text transformations relate to two tracks: "Just a Traveller" and "61000". In the first there is quite a psychedelic chord in Ukrainian language:

Крізь часопростір я лечу
Мета не потрібна блукачу
Нащо шукати сенс життя
Синоніми слова недарма.
"Just a Traveller"
_____

Through the time space I am flying
The purpose is not necessary for the wanderer
Why look for the meaning of life
Synonyms are not bad words
"Just a Traveller"

The second one is entirely devoted to the Kharkiv city. Why? 61000 is the index of the doomed city. But each of the Kharkiv musicians has a special love for his city, if you understand what I mean. The text is written in Russian and is a tribute to postmodernism, which infuses the entire album, and love for the city is expressed in love for their own home. Or not?

There are no questions to the band about the sound. Has never been and, hopefully, will never be at all. Brand-new Ukrainian quality with an American flavor, which urgently needs to be carried everywhere, where it will be bought passionately. Each tool is in its own place. Everything is read, everything is written as if there is love for every note.

The cover emphasizes postmodern sentiment. A strange blend of shots of several European cities on one frame. The author is the drummer of the band Dmitry Zinchenko. An explorer to a better understanding, lead singer and guitarist Igor Zubko gave a comment about a record:

"Many elements that overlap each other, as in life. The poetry of simple things, which turns out to be not so simple, due to added meanings and differences in perception".

If you are not quite sure, then listen to the album twice or even three times. But the axiom is that there is the only one of the many examples of transformation on the territory of the Ukrainian underground. If everybody who want to look progressive, made all their transformations with love for their creativity and listener, as guys from Doomed City are doing, then the way to the European underground could be considered as covered.

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Doomed City in social networks:

https://doomedcity.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/doomedcity.band/