The autumn charts are clean, but poor

Season of Music Deficiency

The first autumn chart of the year was not rich in new products. Probably, there has been a seasonal cooling of passions at the hit factory, although music production has clearly not been working at full capacity lately.

However, production leaders are still trying. “Tsarina”, the new album from Anna Asti, predictably caused some excitement. The dashing mix of an armor-piercing dance beat, choruses with hooks, ballads and that very voice may not pretend to be something super-original, but it has the potential to stir up fans of pop attractions. True, it is becoming increasingly difficult to guess the mood of the public.

Intrusive statements that in the new reality even pop music should open up some other meanings, and songs need a civic component, have not yet found an active response among musicians, with the exception of isolated outbursts of “caring music activists” who are no longer so much concerned with the musical process, as much as considerations that are not entirely related to music and free creativity. In general, the expectation of the invasion of new talent remains an expectation; experienced talents have also reduced their activity, and they can be understood, because they have to work in slightly unnatural conditions for creating a daring pop product.

However, there is nowhere to go, songs are coming out at the very least, but the artists are clearly being cautious. Jony delivers exactly what his fans want from him, it seems that experiments have been postponed until better times, and his “Air Sundress” sounds more than predictable. Gayazovs Brothers offer a very routine ballad “Bride”, which nevertheless touches the audience, because people love that. Finally, Marie Crimebreri, using a fairly well-established scheme (as in the old girl’s hit “I blinded you from what was”), collected the summer hit “I’m So Lucky,” and as a result, the song turned out to be viable even in the fall.

From the outside it may seem that local pop music is a very stable figure and no news can affect it. But this is a deceptive feeling. It’s not so much about the verses, choruses and arrangements, but about the atmosphere of carefree fun that all these songs imply. And the fun lately has been somewhat artificial and forced, which is very noticeable both at concerts and at social parties.

Music, of course, is difficult to stop, so tours are charging, releases are being planned. And frivolous dance action films in this situation are still better than commercial music patriotism. But will there be hits and albums in the near future that everyone will talk about without using the “what a shame” assessment? Let’s keep our ears open and keep an eye on the charts.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29128 dated October 4, 2023

Newspaper headline:
Season of Music Deficiency