:B:N: "Step by Step"
A counseling interview from Euroradio.
The band from Byaroza presented their third album in 10 years of existence. This time, the musicians made up their mind for as long as 6 years. B: N: fans confessed to Euroradio at the Minsk presentation that this time waiting for the new album became almost the most constant occurrence in their lives. As a result, the eager fans got the entire album with 15 tracks in the very style of Byaroza band with a touch of some strange nostalgia.
On the disc "Step by Step": B: N: sound very much like themselves - in a style that we conventionally call "post-NRM" - loud and driving, with the simple but tight arrangements and may be not the perfect mixing. All the things that the fans love in the Byaroza band are present in the new record: the necessary dose of melody, a little punk, a little disco, energetic vocals of Ales Lyutych and a touching duet song about the failure of love "There’s No Us." By the way, :B: N: are really good in duets - regardless with whom, Nasta Nyakrasava, Lyavon Volski or the current companion Katsiaryna Muratava. However, those who expected major changes or experiments from: B: N: may be disappointed.
The album "Step by Step", probably as a result of the long process of creation, balances on the verge of the conceptual work and the collection of everything that has been done in 6 years. Actually, the record is bought together only by some incomprehensible nostalgic mood. It is interesting that the lyrics which tell about "the merry times that passed away" and the thorny path to success of :B: N: were written not only by the band’s regular lyricist Syarhei Mashkovich, but also by base player Ales Zaitsau and Yauhen Buzouski, guitarist of Minsk band IQ48. It looks like all these, comparatively young people, got some deep black nostalgia. "That golden times will never leave us, youth beating in the heart" - sings Ales Lyutych in the refrain to the title track, "Step by Step", which tells about the daring life of the band once in the past. The youth is mentioned in the past tense youth also in the song "Create Yourself", and Yauhen Buzouski contemplates on the same topic in "Club 27".
As
for the fact that the NRM-style (of the times of their pre-death album “06”) song “Farewell” appears in the
final of the album, it is a bit scary. Just recall, for example, the convulsive
tour on the NRM,
already without Lyavon
Volski , with the program called "Goodbye."
Meanwhile, we hear: B: N: "Good-bye,
my friend! Good-bye, Autumn! Goodbye to all of you! ". Doesn’t
this look a little bit suicidal? In any case, the concert presentation of
"Step by Step" showed that the public does not want to say goodbye
yet. Therefore, we recommend that : B: N: should breathe deeply, eat more fresh
fruit and feel more optimistic about the future.
It is difficult to say whether the diagnosis of : B: N: should include mild
depression and midlife crisis in 10 years, but the team has become one of the
symbols of the Belarusian rock of the 2000s - this is a fact. It is true that
the Belarusian rock is gradually disappearing as a separate trend, and so it is
unclear whether :B: N: should follow the advice of Vitaut Martynenka and
occupy NRM’s niche which is free now. Most likely,: B: N: are at their own
crossroads now, they should continue to try and find themselves in the broader
musical space. By the way, after a series of cover versions of "Dzied
Maroz" by NRM and "Roses" by “Pesnyary” from the last album, the
band is working on the interpretation of one of Muse’s songs, together with Max Ivashyn. So, we expect the
unexpected continuation
