Monopoly Records is a brandnew label, based in Moscow, Russia, and with a professional look and feel. Their first release was an album by the Russian formation Cyclotimia, shortly followed by “Rakhilim”, the third album by Dvar. I did not know them too well, apart from a track on the ‘Russian gothic compilation’, but I’ve read that they are pretty eclectic. The music on this new album, which contains no less than 20 tracks, can be described as a mixture of darkwave and chamber music, with a weird twist. I have also to think about strange polka muzak.
It mostly reminds me of Sopor Aeternus, not only music-wise, but also because of the peculiar high vocals. They remind me a bit of a hysteric witch on acid, a highly exaggerated version of Anna-Varney. The music is most of the times rather cheerful and straightforward, uptempo songs with horns, strings and piano. But there seems to be something sinister behind the funny surface. The music of Dvar is a little bizarre, but certainly entertaining. It can be used as a soundtrack for an unusual fairy-tale…
