Zveri     Sample Hit:  Для тебя          
The "Wild Animals" blend strong rock arrangements with often figurative narratives in their lyrics. Their lead singer, Roman Bilyk (who goes by Roman Zveri) is a quiet, unassuming looking lad who comes off surprisingly strong as both a lead singer and a band spokesman. Based largely on his personality, the band has quickly achieved fame across the FSU with songs that mostly explore various forms of love and relationships.

Bratya Grim     Sample Hit:  Кустурица          
Bratya Grim - twins influencing Russian musicIdentical twin brothers Borya and Kostya Grim are from Samara, in southern Russia. They started producing music in 1999 but would wait several years before their demo was given to producer Leonid Burlakov, who moved the group to Moscow where they would become stars. Their lyrics are more ethereal than anything – blending words and images to bring out the beauty of the sound of the language, rather than build narrative or even attempt to make sense. The arrangements are traditional rock, driven by strong guitar and percussion.
Pilot     Sample Hit:  Карелия    
Pilot has been popular for almost a decade, one of a wave of bands to come out of the St. Petersburg music scene. Their music is popular with both critics and the larger mass public, entering heavy rotation in radio broadcasts and earning the lead singer/song writer (known as Ilya Chert) such titles in music reviews as "a successor to the traditions of the Russian soul." The Russian soul has apparently learned heavy guitar riffs and drum solos.
Bi-2     Sample Hit:  Последний герой      
Originally formed in Minsk, Belorussia in 1985, Bi-2 went through various incarnations before subduing all Russia with their aggressive rock arrangements and often epic, often romantic lyrics and vocals. The lead singer has developed an image and reputation as "the hero of maiden dreams," (romantic, heroic, but often sad). The above hit was featured as the theme song to a television show of the same name (Russia's answer to "Survivor").
Splean     Sample Hit:  Выхода нет     
Splean was one of the first Russian rock groups to emerge after the fall of the USSR. They are still wildly popular, singing unusual but addictive songs with sad words and unusual melodies. The group's name means depression in Russian and they insist on its transliteration being spelled with –ea rather than –i, which is a nod to the spelling of the Beatles. According to one Russian critic, "Splean opens doors to the consciousness and what door to enter, where to stay, depends on the decision of your heart." We are also fans of their song "Пыльная быль," which was one of their first big hits in the 90's.
Quest Pistols      Sample Hit: Клетка    
As the bio page on the band's site states, the Quest Pistols are simply three "cool guys" who formed the group three years ago and now tour all over Russia and Ukraine. They experiment with different sub-genres of rock in their songs and have an eclectic sound ranging from hard rock to some purely pop or hip-hop influenced hits such as "Kletka" ("Cage"). 
Pyotr Nalitch     Sample Hit: Баба люба  
Pyotr Nalitch gained his fame by beginning his musical career solely over the Internet. His song "Gitar," with its tongue-in-cheek lyrics in broken English and primitively-made YouTube video, were what initially made Nalitch well-known. He began making all of his songs available for free on his website in 2007 and played his first concert with his "musical collective" ("Muzikalny kollektiv Petra Nalitcha,"often abbreviated "MKPN") later that same year. Their concerts were nearly always sold out and they decided to release their first album in 2008, which was self-produced by Nalitch.
Myrakami      Sample Hit: Нулевой км        
This rock-band from Kazan was founded in 2005 by musicians from Solntse-Ekran (Sun-Screen) and Dilyara Vagapova, who was then with the “Narodny Artist-2” (People’s Artist-2). The group immediately began a tour of the Kazan region. In August 2006, they produced their first album Chaiki (Seagulls). The band is named after Haruki Murakami, a Japanese writer whose books are filled with fanciful metamorphoses and delicately intertwines the philosophy of an average person consumed by a megapolis.
 
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