Republika
Nowe Sytuacje

Let's be honest, today those of us who listen to alternative music don't have it easy... We are still not enough to impose our tastes on public radio and TV, so the media remain slaves to the abysmal tastes of the uninformed and ignorant masses. Nowadays, due to the internet and rampant downloading, we can no longer take solace in our sphere of superiority and exclusivity, not just intellectual, but above all artistic. Now, I'm not saying King Crimson, but even Faust and Amon Düül have become known names, and teenagers (an age when I was still following Festivalbar and believed that Queen's greatest hits and Guns n' Roses were the epitome of alternative rock) already know more Krautrock bands than you, what's left for us to feel superior to others? Well, don't despair, my friends, because bands like Republika are the solution to your problem, and I am here to introduce them to you! In fact, while browsing the web, I stumbled upon several discussions about rock viewed from the other side of the Iron Curtain.

We've all heard stories like those of Elvis and Beatles' records illegally reproduced by doctors using X-ray sheets, but apparently at some point our comrades in the East decided to lay down the sickle and hammer for a moment and instead pick up a guitar, no longer limiting themselves to passive listening but fighting on the front lines for an ideal even more admirable than communism: rock! Despite, or perhaps because of, cultural isolation, it seems that in many countries, especially those on the periphery of the Evil Empire (where controls and censorship were less strict, allowing more freedom and where albums from the kingdom of consumerism occasionally made it through), flourishing music scenes developed; one of the most active was (and allegedly still is) the Polish one, particularly in the capital Warsaw. It is here that Republika took off, a band of students originally from Torun (180km from the capital), initially named Res Publica, but then forced to change their name due to pressure from local regime representatives. The band soon became one of the leading alternative groups in Eastern Europe, a model to be imitated by many other bands, known for their highly poetic lyrics and political and libertarian (?) ideals they advocated...

Unfortunately not understanding Polish, I cannot say how much truth lies behind these descriptions, but the fact remains that the singer knows his stuff and delivers a more than decent performance behind the microphone, undoubtedly enhanced by the exotic allure of not understanding a word of what is being said. Their debut in 1983, Nowe sytuacje (New Situations), remains for many their most valid album, the one where they dared the most. Many define them as the Communist Talking Heads due to their post-punk-art-rock with strong funky influences, but personally, due to the dark atmospheres, they remind me more of Wire, adding to the usual instruments a flute and some piano inserts. There is also an English version, but of course, I strongly advise you to prefer the one in the original language. It's difficult to define this album as essential listening; those familiar with the big names of new wave won't find anything shocking, but just as Litfiba or CCCP in Italy managed to give us at least a couple of records worthy of listening to, capable of reinterpreting the sounds of the new wave from an Italian perspective, Republika also deserves at least a listen from enthusiasts of certain sounds, to always remind us how good music knows no borders and is certainly not confined to the usual four countries.