Some holiday love for the Annus Horribilis.
November 23, 2020 5:44 AM Subscribe
Little Big, a comedy singing group from Russia, who had a very promising entry for this year's Eurovision Song Contest (which got cancelled because of You Know What), have released a holiday song and video. Actually, it's an anthem for all that is 2020. (WARNING: Ever-So-NSFW. Seriously.)
I'd love to hear their cover of "Balls to the Wall."
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:42 AM on November 23, 2020
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:42 AM on November 23, 2020
Great. Now I'm going to have 'Suck My Dick 2020' stuck in my head all morning. Stupidly catchy.
posted by widdershins at 6:55 AM on November 23, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by widdershins at 6:55 AM on November 23, 2020 [4 favorites]
I'm continually impressed by how Little Big manages to be as popular they are while still being anti-authoritarian in Russia.
When I first saw the video for Skibidi, I had a flash of "I hope these guys aren't all far-right goons." And it looks like they aren't! Their lead has called Russian politics "a cult of intolerance and anger" and this video made a very pointed stab at the Russian state's habit of using Novichok nerve agents on opposition politicians
posted by thecjm at 7:07 AM on November 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
When I first saw the video for Skibidi, I had a flash of "I hope these guys aren't all far-right goons." And it looks like they aren't! Their lead has called Russian politics "a cult of intolerance and anger" and this video made a very pointed stab at the Russian state's habit of using Novichok nerve agents on opposition politicians
posted by thecjm at 7:07 AM on November 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
I stumbled into Little Big via Skibidi and now they're one of my favorite bands. Their videos are consistently great, like a collaboration between a Russian-inflected cyriak and Peaches. They seem to switch off between silly stuff you can share with your kids and amazing but terrifying stuff that you should definitely not share with your kids. I got to see them live when they came through Chicago a year or two ago and my only regret is not buying a shirt.
posted by jordemort at 8:13 AM on November 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by jordemort at 8:13 AM on November 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
I'm constantly delighted that Little Big exists, even if I'm pretty sure they peaked musically with "Give Me Your Money". The vids are a wonder every time tho, even if the audio gets a bit samey.
posted by FatherDagon at 8:55 AM on November 23, 2020
posted by FatherDagon at 8:55 AM on November 23, 2020
I'm continually impressed by how Little Big manages to be as popular they are while still being anti-authoritarian in Russia.
You can get this feeling a lot with media in Russia, but there's a huge element of "knowing one's place" in this. As long as they're not actually wading into actual political change, and hiding behind the plausible deniability of avante garde / nihilistic art, you can still have a career. It's pretty clear what's separating them from, say, Pussy Riot.
Same thing applies to homosexuality in pop culture there. Russia is a HUGE market for over the top camp pop music, even in a culture with such open homophobia / machismo -- and everyone knows what's up. It's led to some very, very strange bedfellows between Sweden and Russia going back decades.
posted by groda at 9:00 AM on November 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
You can get this feeling a lot with media in Russia, but there's a huge element of "knowing one's place" in this. As long as they're not actually wading into actual political change, and hiding behind the plausible deniability of avante garde / nihilistic art, you can still have a career. It's pretty clear what's separating them from, say, Pussy Riot.
Same thing applies to homosexuality in pop culture there. Russia is a HUGE market for over the top camp pop music, even in a culture with such open homophobia / machismo -- and everyone knows what's up. It's led to some very, very strange bedfellows between Sweden and Russia going back decades.
posted by groda at 9:00 AM on November 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
Also, loving the shout-out to Tommy Cash.
posted by groda at 9:01 AM on November 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by groda at 9:01 AM on November 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
I was really surprised to see the Wall Street Journal writing about Little Big earlier this year, but that turned out to be a different Little Big.
posted by The Half Language Plant at 9:46 AM on November 23, 2020
posted by The Half Language Plant at 9:46 AM on November 23, 2020
I know nothing about Little Big but echoing groda I get a very.. cabaret vibe from the video? Doesn't strike me as subversive or risky in any way whatsoever.
It's the sort of wink to power that feels entirely acceptable. Meanwhile the rest of us can consume the product and share with friends and family and enjoy the fact we've told 2020 to suck our dick. Like that's something.
posted by elkevelvet at 10:21 AM on November 23, 2020
It's the sort of wink to power that feels entirely acceptable. Meanwhile the rest of us can consume the product and share with friends and family and enjoy the fact we've told 2020 to suck our dick. Like that's something.
posted by elkevelvet at 10:21 AM on November 23, 2020
Songs about how horrible 2020 is seem to be an emerging micro-genre. Here's a more restrained British one.
posted by Fuchsoid at 10:21 AM on November 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Fuchsoid at 10:21 AM on November 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
Meh. It's the usual EuroVision everything-to-eleven eyebleed/earbleed musical assault. I prefer a more lowkey approach
posted by The Tensor at 10:51 AM on November 23, 2020
posted by The Tensor at 10:51 AM on November 23, 2020
Subversive music in Russia is really fascinating. While bands like Pussy Riot are well known, bands that are less known in the west that are huge with Russians and are in many ways being treated like PR. One I really enjoy is IC3PEAK. Here’s one of their many wonderful videos. There’s an interesting documentary about one of their shows being shut down by local police that concludes with the band in the streets shouting out one of their songs with their fans.
posted by misterpatrick at 11:45 AM on November 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by misterpatrick at 11:45 AM on November 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
I'm so glad I watched that.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 10:17 PM on November 23, 2020
posted by WalkerWestridge at 10:17 PM on November 23, 2020
Not their strongest so far (those would be Skibidi, Skibidi Romantic Version, Faradenza, [some familiarity with basic Russian culture increases appreciation of those three] and Hypnodancer) but still entertaining, surprising, and creative.
posted by thefool at 11:27 AM on November 24, 2020
posted by thefool at 11:27 AM on November 24, 2020
The Novichok part literally made me laugh out loud. That, and I want a Little Big Christmas sweater now.
posted by MattWPBS at 4:48 AM on November 25, 2020
posted by MattWPBS at 4:48 AM on November 25, 2020
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posted by chavenet at 6:06 AM on November 23, 2020 [3 favorites]