| Splean | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Genres | Alternative rock Acoustic rock Indie rock Progressive rock Folk rock Grunge |
| Years active | May 27, 1994 – present |
| Associated acts | Сеtи, Oedipus Complex, Alexander Vasilyev (solo), Bi-2 |
| Members | Alexander Vasilyev Vadim Sergeyev Dmitry Kunin Nikolay Rostovsky Alexey Mesherekov |
Splean (Russian: Сплин) is a popular Russian rock band, formed in Saint Petersburg in 1994.[1] Since then, they have remained one of the most popular rock bands in Russia and the former Soviet Union. The band's name is derived from "spleen" (in the sense of "depression"), and the "ea" spelling in English is a pun on the spelling of the Beatles.[2] It was borrowed from a short poem by Sasha Cherny, which the band set to music.
History[edit]
Lead singer Alexander Vasilyev and bass guitarist Alexander Morozov decided to form a band together while working in "Buff" theatre as stage workers. Later, keyboardist Nikolay Rostovsky and other musicians joined them. Despite the risk of losing their jobs, they began recording their first album Pyl'naja byl' (Dusty Fact) in one of the theatre's studios at night.[1] Their growing popularity was made evident by Boris Grebenshchikov's and Konstantin Kinchev's support.[1] In 1996, the band began to play concerts in Moscow and other cities.[3] In subsequent years, Splean recorded several albums and a number of hit singles, including "Orbit bez sahara" ("Sugar Free Orbit"), "Novye ljudi" ("New People"), "Vremja nazad" ("Backwards Time"), and "My sideli i kurili" ("We Were Sitting and Smoking")
Despite rumours that the group were on the verge of breaking up in 2004, Splean continues to perform throughout Russia and the world. The band frequently experiments and evolves, so the current version of Splean is quite different from its original version.[4]
In 2004, the band garnered international attention for the inclusion of their song "Bud' moej ten'ju" ("Be My Shadow") in the film adaptation of Sergey Lukyanenko's bestselling novel, Night Watch.
In 1998, Splean opened for The Rolling Stones at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, during the Bridges to Babylon Tour.[5] Splean headlined the Krylya rock festival in 2005 and Nashestvie in 2015.[6] "Skazhi" ("Tell Her"), the single from Razdvoenie lichnosti (Split Personality), topped song and video charts on the radio and MTV, and the song's video was awarded the MTV Russian Music Award for Best Video.
The band won several Nashe Radio "Chart Dozen" awards, including Best Song and Chart Leader for "Orkestr" ("Оrchestra") in 2015[7] and Best Album for Obman Zrenija (Optical Illusion) in 2013.[8]
Members[edit]
- Alexander Vasilyev - lead vocals, guitar
- Vadim Sergeyev - guitar
- Dmitriy Kunin - bass-guitar
- Nikolay Rostovsky - keyboards
- Alexey Mesherekov - drums
Discography[edit]
| Year | Russian | Translit. | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Пыльная Быль | Pyl'naja Byl | Dusty Fact |
| 1996 | Коллекционер Оружия | Kollekcioner Oruzhija | Arms Collector |
| 1997 | Фонарь под Глазом | Fonar' pod Glazom | Black Eye, lit. Lamp Under the Eye |
| 1998 | Гранатовый Альбом | Granatovyj Al'bom | Pomegranate Album |
| 1999 | Альтависта | Al'tavista | Altavista |
| 1999 | Зн@менатель (сборник песен для радио) | Zn@menatel' (sbornik pesen dlja radio) | Denomin@tor (collection of songs for the radio) |
| 2000 | Альтависта live | Al'tavista live | Altavista Live |
| 2001 | 25 кадр | 25 kadr | 25th Frame |
| 2002 | Акустика | Akustika | Unplugged |
| 2003 | Новые Люди | Novye Ljudi | New People |
| 2004 | Реверсивная Хроника Событий | Reversivnaja Hronika Sobytij | Reversed Chronicle of Events |
| 2007 | Раздвоение Личности | Razdvoenie Lichnosti | Split Personality |
| 2009 | Сигнал из Космоса | Signal iz Kosmosa | Signal From Space |
| 2012 | Обман Зрения | Obman Zrenija | Optical Illusion |
| 2014 | Резонанс. Часть 1[9] | Rezonans. Chast' 1 | Resonance. Part 1 |
| 2014 | Резонанс. Часть 2 | Rezonans. Chast' 2 | Resonance. Part 2 |
| 2016 | Ключ к шифру | Kljuch k shifru | Key to the Cipher |
| 2018 | Встречная полоса | Vstrechnaja polosa | Opposite Lane |
| 2019 | Тайком | Taikom | Sneakingly |
Soundtracks[edit]
- 2000 - Брат 2 (Brother 2) — "Линия жизни" (Life Line)
- 2001 - Тайный знак (Secret Sign) - "Моё сердце" (My Heart), "Пластмассовая жизнь" (Plastic Life)
- 2002 - Война (War) - "SOS", "Феллини" (Felini), "Пластмассовая жизнь" (Plastic Life)
- 2004 - Егерь - Сломано всё (Everything is Broken), "Время, назад!" (Time, Backwards!)
- 2006 - Живой (Alive) - "Сиануквиль" (Sihanoukville), "Романс" (Romance)
- 2008 - Качели (Swing) - "Мама миа" (Mama Mia), "Мобильный" (Mobile)
- 2012 - Отпуск (Vacation) - "Романс" (Romance)
- 2013 - Посредник (Mediator) - "Время, назад!" (Time, Backwards!)
- Grand Theft Auto IV - Линия жизни (Life Line) on radio station Vladivostok FM
External links[edit]
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Splin. |
- Official site (in Russian)
- YouTube channel
- Russmus info on Splean, including lyrics and translations
- Last.FM Сплин page
- Splin and Alexander Vasilev
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Андрей Бурлака. Рок-энциклопедия. Популярная музыка в Ленинграде – Петербурге. 1965–2005, Том 3, Спб:Амфора, 2007 с. 268-273
- ^ : спЛин :. Пыльная быль / Архив / Наше радио. Программа 'Летопись' (5 декабря 2004 года)
- ^ Русский рок. Малая энциклопедия. Леан-Антао Москва, 2001.
- ^ Апрельская, Елена (14 November 2015). "Сплин" сорвал аншлаг на концерте в Москве (in Russian). Moskovsky Komsomolets. Retrieved 23 February 2016. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "A brief look at the stories making headlines in the Russian-language press | News". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
- ^ «Сплин» станет главным хедлайнером «Нашествия»
- ^ "Сплин" стал триумфатором "Чартовой дюжины"
- ^ Объявлены лауреаты премии «Чартова дюжина»
- ^ Альбом "Резонанс" презентовала группа "Сплин" на долгожданном концерте в Хабаровске (in Russian). Khabarovsk: Dv novosti. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2016. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
