DVAR - Rakhilim

I don't know how to begin. Neither where to begin. The group is named DVAR and comes from Russia. DVAR was formed in the early 90's and since then they have released a bunch of records of which 'Rakhilim' is the most recent (2003).

Their music has been described as bizarre cartoon'ish avant-garde music. The music consists of melancholic soundscapes and melodies that might be inspired by early computer games. The singing itself seems to be word less, if they sings at all. Maybe they sing in a language I've never heard either, the chance is quite big. The singer sometimes sounds like Mickey Mouse with a plastic bag over his head trying to sing opera while choking and then the already mentioned description isn't that bad at all.

If I can chose, which I can then I sort this under the genre art-rock together with Devil Doll and similar groups. I think the music is great but very different from things I've heard before. For those who are searching for something different this is a good choice.

Some of my favourite tunes on this record are "Ieroh", "Yar Yar", "Ieriil" and "Naakhill". "Naakhill" is the best song on the record by the way. It's got a more industrial sound than the other songs. DVAR is something I strongly suggest you to listen to and it's also something I need to investigate further.

This review was written 2003 and initially published on Neurozine.com Jan 01 2003