WATCH: A new animated music video by Montreal band Orkestar Kriminal

Today Montreal band Orkestar Kriminal is launching the music video — by nine Russian women animators — for “Na Moldavanke Musyka Igrayet,” a song from their upcoming vinyl release Razlomanye Ryobra (Coax Records, Aug. 31).

Known for their “inspired renditions of slum-based world music,” Orkestar Kriminal have recorded tracks in many languages, and this Russian* song — and its video — tells the story of Mania being sent to a labour camp at the White Sea–Baltic Canal by Kostia (the boss of the Odessa underworld) in order to help Kol’ka escape. The song ends with the death of Kol’ka, on Kostia’s orders, for his violation of the criminal code of honour. *(As singer Giselle Webber explains, this is in fact “a Jewish song, talking about gangster life in interwar period Ukraine, yet the song was originally written in Russian as both Yiddish and Ukrainian were banned at the time.”)

Razlomanye Ryobra (“Broken Ribs” in Russian) is a remixed and remastered version of Ryobra, the latest album by Orkestar Kriminal. The instrumentation of the new vinyl release features sousaphone, trombone, saxophone, trumpet, musical saw, bouzouki, baglama, piccolo, flute, violin, lectric surf guitar, accordion and drums. The album was recorded live off-the-floor at Hotel2Tango by Howard Bilerman (Leonard Cohen, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Arcade Fire), produced by Josh Dolgin (Socalled, Abraham Inc., Canailles), mixed by Orkestar Kriminal’s Étienne Barry along with Francis Duchesne (les Deuxluxes, Sophia Bel, Sons of Arrakis) and mastered by Ryan Morey.

Watch the new video here:

Razlomanye Ryobra will be launched with a live-streamed concert co-produced by POP Montreal on Aug. 31, 3 p.m. (ET)

For more about Orkestar Kriminal, please visit their Bandcamp page.

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