Album Details

• Artist: Human Tetris
• Album: Happy Way In The Maze Of Rebirth
• Label: Self-Issued
• Year of Release: 2012
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: charlesmartel on 2012-09-06

Like a number of Russian indie bands - unsigned all - such as Motorama, Human Tetris look back to the early post punk days of the eighties. It is almost as if someone in Moscow got hold of a copy of Unknown Pleasures and circulated it amongst friends, all of whom then went off and formed bands. But this is not mere mimicry of Joy Division and the miserablist bands of that era. Human Tetris have adapted the sound to suit a much more modern audience. The guitars are fuller and the sound has more to it than a lot of Joy Division, and while it is not as stark and cold, it certainly can be as melodramatic and depressive at times.

Yet the big difference is that is music which you can, and are probably intended to, dance to. It has a distinctly upbeat quality about it. Songs like "Insanity" and "Silver Tears" will be sure to get your foot tapping while other tracks, most notably, "Angel", has a personal touch to it that even Ian Curtis would have appreciated. Unlike fellow Muscovite post-punks, Motorama, Human Tetris have a tighter feel to them. The music is of a higher standard and the lyrics and song titles not as daft. Less jangle and more feedback, while vocalist Arvid Kriger has a less annoying voice than his colleague from Motorama. In all it sounds more professional and is easier to listen to and allow the songs to get into your head, catchier hooks and more memorable melodies.

Of course, the major flaw in this, as with their Russian contemporaries, is the production. It is lacking in professionalism and quality and suffers from comparison with any number of bands with a similar style (but less ability) in that, being self-produced, it comes across as a little ragged. But I would not worry about that too much. Sooner or later, surely, someone is going to pick up on Human Tetris and similar bands and do the world a favour by signing a decent distribution deal for them and getting a decent proiducer in to polish that sound.

The band are currently touring Europe where they are playing to a lot of small venues across the continent. It is to be hoped that they will make their way to the UK for they certainly would be worth catching. I get the impression that their live gigs are something quite special and it is a long time since I found something post-punk so appealing to the better, more cheerful side of my nature. There is definitely more to come from Human Tetris - and better too. It would be a shame if the usual donkey-like stupidity of the music business over here were to overlook something which has a considerable amount of potential, even if their debut album is a little too much like a work unfinished.

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