Russenorsk

By Sam DaMatta

Fire Note Says: Catchy Alt-Folk from Athens, OH!

Album Review:
Probably not many people could tell you that Russenorsk is an extinct pidgin language commonly used between sailors of the 18th and 19th centuries so it raises the chances that the name will easily become synonymous with this indie rock/folk trio out of Athens, Ohio. Jack Martin and Tim Race met in the fall of 2006 at Ohio University and Russenorsk was soon formed. The band quickly began playing out live and by spring they recorded In A Great Wave Of Horns. The album is an interesting mix of instrumentation and vocals that is really divided up into two parts separated by the instrumental sixth track “Expansions And Water”. The first part of In A Great Wave Of Horns is full of upbeat Arcade Fireish songs that feature Race’s voice exploding and building momentum with strong guitar loops and timekeeping cello. The second half of the album is a more Brian Eno type earthy experience that uses all of their talents with Race’s vocals out front while the music remains a hidden force that bubbles beneath. Overall, Russenorsk have released a promising debut with solid melodies and lyrics that stand up to repeat listens. The band is already preparing for a sophomore record to be released in 2008, so now is chance to check them out before everyone knows their name.

Key Tracks: "No Crash", "Science Tells Me", "Camelot (Your Kingdom Is Well)"

Bands With Similar Fire:
Arcade Fire
The Twilight Sad
Annuals - The Fire Note music blog

By Michael Breen

Indie/Folk
This trio might just be the sleeper highlight of MidPoint. With lushness and grace, Rossenorsk (named for an extinct Russian-Norwegian pidgin language developed in the Arctic) makes lilting, emotional songs often driven by persistent acoustic strumming and buoyed by organic atmospherics, chiming guitar and rise-and-fall additives like cello and impulsive percussion. The band’s latest album In a Great Wave of Horn is loaded with great, unique “Folk” styled lyrics and a sorta Fleet Foxes meets Bright Eyes kind of vibe.
Dig It: I’m not positive, but this might be “Freak Folk.” It’s certainly folksy, but getting creative with a storied format doesn’t necessarily make one a freak. (MB) - CityBeat

If I had to guess without looking, I would surely place Russenorsk from the NYC area. They have a hipness to their sound which is curiously reminiscent of many NYC bands. But, the band actually hails from Athens, Ohio. Perhaps that is why Russenorsk are able to distinguish themselves from the cesspool of NYC indie pop. Tim Race and Jack Martin met during their freshman year at Ohio University and In A Great Wave Of Horns is the result of that friendship. The band certainly has a familiar sound that could be traced to bands like Arcade Fire or say, an incredibly less annoying Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. In fact, Russenorsk often reminds me of the laid back sounds of the underrated Takka Takka as well. Regardless, Russenorsk are able to do more than an adequate job of lacing their songs with a noticeable personality all their own. The arrangements and the band's use of Martin's cello creates a diverse backdrop to the promising, distinct vocals of Race. Look for Russenorsk's next record (which they are about to record) to truly separate the band from the crowded indie pop/folk pack.

- Sound as Language

By Jen Kessler

To linguists and scholars, the word “russenorsk” denotes a faction of a world language that has gone extinct. To Athens, Ohio, however, Russenorsk is a vibrant pulse in the local music scene, a talented band that is very much alive.

Speakeasy had the opportunity to sit down with vocalist and guitarist Tim Race and cellist Jack Martin to peel back a few layers and get acquainted with the talented hearts that beat at the core of Russenorsk.

Editor's Note: To read an unabridged transcription of Speakeasy's in-depth interview with Russenorsk, click here.

The name Russenorsk itself, as unique and attention snatching as the music it fronts, was the first matter of discussion. Pronounced ‘Roos-eh-norsk’ (“Or ‘Russ-eh-norsk’, we don’t really mind,” Race said), “Russenorsk” is a little-known dead language used during the 18th and 19th centuries.

“I was in a linguistics class fall quarter of last year, and it’s a language in between Russian and Norwegian that sailors used to communicate about fishing and sailing and trading, things like that,” Martin explains. “It’s now extinct, no longer a language.”

Race, Martin and newest addition to the band Zach Inscho (percussion), all three sophomores at Ohio University, have innervated the long dead word. The band took root and blossomed last year in Washington Hall on East Green, where Race and Martin both lived as freshmen.

“I heard Jack playing an acoustic bass. He was playing slap bass in the Washington lobby…and I was just like, ‘what is that noise going on!?’” Race said about the birth of Russenorsk. “So I went down to investigate, and he was playing with some other guys, and I was like ‘Do you guys mind if I sit in?’ So we played some guitar…but I ended up talking to Jack about how long he’d been playing bass because I thought it was really sweet, what he was doing. And he was like ‘Well, not that long, but I also play cello,’ and I was like ‘Oh really!’ There was one song [of mine] in particular that I envisioned cello on, which ended up on our record, and after we found out that that song worked with cello, we were like, “Well, why not continue it?” and it ended up being a standard thing. I’m such a fan of stringed instruments, but I didn’t want to have a full quartet kind of thing going on, and I’d never really heard of a band that had a cello as its main instrument, so we thought maybe we could do something interesting with that.”

The band’s first album In A Great Wave Of Horns, produced by Nathan Zangmeister and recorded at Epoch Studio in the spring of 2007, is a positively striking combustion of dynamic originality and authentic beauty. Mesmeric, melodic guitar intertwines with masterful cello strains that glide from dainty to haunting with immaculate ease, creating a flawless backdrop for Race’s permeating vocals. Race’s voice, beautiful and earnest, drips with a trembling, pervasive honesty that is absolutely captivating.

The album is an impeccable fusion of hefty talents. Race and Martin play off each other effortlessly, and it is this undeniable chemistry that lies smoldering deeply in the heart of Russenorsk.

“I like to say [the album] was heavily a collaboration,” Race explained. “Some of them, I’d come to Jack with rude ideas of a song, maybe even just a chord progression or something, but the song didn’t really matter to me until I heard what the cello would sound like against it. Once we’d hear that, it just kind of sparked.”

“There were numerous songs where Tim would just start, like, he didn’t even know the chord progression, he’d just give me a key,” Martin said with a laugh. “Or sometimes not even that. We’ve been writing recently, and he’ll have a few notes down, and real quickly those notes can change. It really changes so much between the time we start writing and end writing.”

“I guess the best way to describe it would be that our writing is ephemeral,” Race said. “It’s right there, and the thing is, sometimes the best writing that we do just goes away, and we forget it."

“But it’s definitely a collaborative thing, you know, because why have more than one person in the band if not everyone is writing songs?”

Russenorsk has gleaned quite a respectable reputation in Athens, playing show after show and sharing the stage with fellow local artists such as Zephuros and Adam Torres, as well as touring acts such as The Gunshy.

“It’s actually kind of an honor to be part of the Athens music scene because it’s so diverse and so unique, and it seems like every show I go to that features local bands, I walk out just blown away by,” Race said. “It started with Adam Torres, and since then I’ve just heard so many bands that I’ve fallen in love with. It’s been going really well. I don’t think we could ask for a better town to play in, really.” - Speakeasy Magazine (Online)

By Isaac Smith

In a Great Wave of Horns is the debut album of local band Russenorsk. Taking influences from artists such as Arcade Fire, Brian Eno, Elliot Smith, Mahler, Yo-Yo Ma, and TV on the Radio, they claim to sound like “a yelping of sorts.” I must say that I disagree with the latter piece of information. Russenorsk has a smooth but honest sound to it, and it’s one that I like.

Their album begins with a song entitled “No Crash.” It starts gently and smoothly, discussing how there will be no climactic ending, no need for mending, no crash. To be completely honest, the first time I listened to this song (on MySpace, while I was waiting for the CD to arrive), it reminded me of “Fiery Crash,” from Andrew Bird’s most recent album, Armchair Apocrypha. It shares excellent guitar and melodies, and lyrics sung by two voices. Also, they’re both (in some way) about crashes. “No Crash” becomes somewhat repetitive near the end, but not enough to make me dislike it — it is rather one of my favorite songs on the album.

“There Will Be Nothing Left” is the second track. Filled with gentle finger-picking guitar and the lovely cello that continues in the background, smoothing the song out, this song reminds me of Zephuros. The chorus of:

There will be nothing to forget
There will be nothing left
There will be nothing to forget
There will be nothing left

is so simple and beautiful. The end of the song becomes much more upbeat, the guitar changes, the overall feel of the tune is different. However, the amount of variation is just right, and the beauty continues. The way the song completes is also excellent. Race ends with the chorus, trailing off with “There will be nothing…”

Their third song is my favorite, and I’m sure they hear this quite often. However, the beginning, the somewhat minor tone, the beautiful cello that lines the background, the simple but effective rhythm guitar, and the beautifully-written lyrics come together to make this (in my opinion) the best song on the album. I find it difficult not to sing along to the chorus of “Science Tells Me.” The bridge is also amazing, as is the final chorus, with the way “nothing but noise” is broken up with the guitar. The song then ends gently, with a nice guitar scale and a lovely note on the cello.

“Surveillance” begins with sounds that remind me of Coldplay and Arcade Fire that transition into a somewhat Oriental-sounding melody, before beginning the song. The beautiful lyrics and chorus make this the fourth great song in a row on In a Great Wave of Horns.

May they march against me
May they march against me
May they tie their shoes together…

What an excellent chorus. I especially love the second time the chorus is sung, where a few more voices join that of Tim Race. With a nice decrescendo, the first part of the chorus comes in (May the march against me). The music then resumes it’s full volume as the second part of the chorus comes in (May they tie their shoes together). After another verse and another chorus, the song ends slowly and quietly.

After four perfect songs, Russenorsk proves their excellence with a fifth great song. “Leaning House,” even with its only-okay chorus, still shines as a wonderful song. For those of you who have read my other reviews, you know that I like quirky. “Leaning House” is most definitely quirky. I’m not sure why I’m saying this — perhaps it’s the pun — but the tune seems to be written… well… sideways. The song is about poverty: a house in shambles, an unkempt yard, sleeping in found blankets, and in the end, the collapse of this leaning house.

The only thing I don’t like about “Leaning House” is the chorus. It’s one of those things that I will be able to get used to, but I find parts of it to be too whiny.

If you people don’t get out of bed
Start making some plans, plans, plans

The “plans plans plans” is too high-pitched and whiny for me. But I have a limited “whine tolerance level.” Perhaps this is because of my sister… No, I’m not even going there. Still, I didn’t like the chorus at first, but I’m growing rather fond of it. It fits in with the quirkiness of the song.

Goodness, I’m writing so much about this one song. This is my third paragraph about one song. But I’m not done talking about all of my favorite parts yet. One of my favorite parts of this song is the “big angry man” with his “big angry hands.” He yells “God, strike them!” Then, the hands (or heads?) of the family in the leaning house catch on fire, when the lightning hits the roof. It’s perfect. In the end, the house falls down, making a song that wasn’t worth remembering, and the song comes to a close quietly.

“Expansions and Water” is definitely the weirdest song on the album. A somewhat techno song filled with swirling and slurping noises, the song manages to remain musical. The cello makes this quick, oddball of a song perfect.

“Hammers and Heavy Feet” begins gently with acoustic guitar and cello in a minor key, discussing man’s struggle with God, and the harshness of winter. The hammers and heavy feet from the title are used to break the ice, and end the everlasting rough winter.

Praying the trees
Punch through the yard
To remind them of how tall they are
To the whole world

So goes the chorus of the tune. In the end, the ground thaws, winter ends, the water flows, and everyone is watching the trees punch through the yard. Overall, the song is lovely, ending gently with slightly different guitar melodies, and finally completing with a broken minor chord.

There are three songs left on In a Great Wave of Horns, and I’m already up over 1000 words. I’ve still got to describe the songs, and wrap things up! Well, for those of you who have read this far, I thank you.

“Camelot (Your Kingdom is Well)” is the most obviously political song on the album. Perhaps I’m just hearing what I want to hear, but to me, the song rings of the corruption of the Bush Regime. Musically, it’s upbeat, fun, and very well written. With lyrics of dirty politicians and their dirty hell, this song tells the story of modern politics. Blindly ruling the kingdom with the insistance that you’re correct… I don’t know, but to me that sounds a lot like some pretty harsh criticism of our lovely President. And I like it.

Continuing with no political rants. (I’m actually rather proud of myself, being someone who truly dislikes… I’m stopping myself from ranting in the parentheses.) Another song of poverty follows, telling the tale of a small family’s touching struggle to escape from the small town of Forsythe, Illinois. “Forsythe,” while an incredibly beautiful song, is once again too whiny for me. But as I said before, my “whine tolerance” level is pretty low. And as I said before, I’m not going to go into reasons…

The Tangent Police are about to come and arrest me. All the detail the lyrics go into to describe the poverty in Forsythe is truly touching. Skinny driveways, poor education, troubling neighbors, “railroads dividing the backyard,” all these things make the song so much more beautiful.

“Long Winter’s Coming” wraps up the album. With a catchy melody, it’s the tenth perfect song. Electric guitar, cello, and the subtle whispering in the background make the song perfect. I also love the way the song ends. After some time of repeated (albeit beautiful) guitar riffs, the music fades into static, and ends abruptly with a nice Beatles reference. (I’m angry with myself for not being able to remember the song.)

Anyway, that’s the end of In a Great Wave of Horns. Overall, the album comes very close to perfection. Even with my issues with “Forsythe” and “Leaning House,” I do have to say that at the end, I can’t find anything that should take away from the five triangles that this album deserves. Giving this album a rating has been difficult for me — I’ve swung back and forth between four and a half and five triangles. After several listens, and much consideration, I’ve decided that there’s really nothing wrong with the CD, so five triangles it is. A perfect album.
- Triangle Music Reviews (Online)

By Greg Gallant

Sounds Like. . .
Arcade Fire + Neutral Milk Hotel
-------------------------------------
RUSSENORSK

The combination of folk and indie music has been growing in popularity for some time, but Tim Race gives Russenorsk something that bands in either genre typically don't have: a show-stopping voice. Race's pipes bring together the band's neo-folk tracks, colored by improvisational cello work of Jack Martin, and fueled by Zach Inscho on drums.

The distinct style that Russenorsk uses to construct their driving rock tunes is very similar to that of Arcade Fire. Set-list fixtures "Long Winter's Coming" and "No Crash" seem to be straight off Arcade Fire's Funeral album. Race loops a guitar riff or two, Martin and Inscho enter in time, and the song slowly builds on itself, conserving energy for an explosion at the end.

Race's lyrical strategy is difficult to classify. While the words are not necessarily vague, much of the meaning of the song is derived from how the words work with, or against, the mood set by the music and vocals. This style is comparable to Jeff Mangum, the lyricist for Neutral Milk Hotel. On the band's folk rock ballads, Race utilizes an acoustic guitar sound also similar to NMH.

Race and Martin built an audience for the live shows last year, and now the addition of Inscho's percussion has added eve more energy to the set. The band's range of emotions and versatile musical ability make Russenorsk appealing to a diverse group of listeners.
- Backdrop Magazine

By Jill Mapes

In a dank, cramped basement on Mound Street stands local indie rock band Russenorsk, practicing for what could be the most crucial gig of the trio’s two and a half-year existence. The band teeters on the edge of its second album release – a journey that will culminate with a show at The Union this Friday.

All members exude great vigor as they gather on this particularly chilly evening, but there is one of them who cannot be ignored. As drummer Zach Inscho’s drumsticks slam against the rim of the floor tom, the wood chips away just slightly with each flick of his wrists and each surmounting beat of the song, titled “Branches.” The shards shimmer in the light as they hit the low ceiling of cobwebs and exposed pipes, appearing almost like snowflakes. This seems appropriate, considering the frigid feeling overtaking my appendages. But the energy Russenorsk produces through its performance there in that under-insulated basement is enough to make me forget that I can almost see my breath as I exhale.

As I sit down with the trio of Ohio University juniors later (in a warmer room, thankfully), cellist Jack Martin speaks succinctly about the idea that his band’s new album – titled Comforts – is a winter album. How puzzling this is, considering that shorts and barbeques were the seasonal norms when Russenorsk went into Athens’ 3 Elliott Studio to record it shortly before the start of fall quarter 2008.

“We recorded the album September 1st, 2nd and 3rd – around those dates – and it’s at the end of the summer,” Martin begins, caressing one of his pet guinea pigs as he stares me dead in the eyes. “For me, summer music is hot music. Beirut, bands like that. Dry, warm sounds; folky -- things of that nature. It’s kind of ironic because I think we actually ended up making a record that sounds like winter. I think it’s not necessarily the bands we were listening to [when making the album] that influenced us, but the feeling of our recent experiences that put us in that emotion.”

Perhaps the most obvious aspect of Comforts that takes on a wintry feeling would be the themes of dystopia and disillusionment found in its lyrics – an idea that Russenorsk members say resonates with them and that they hope will be a personal experience for their listeners. Vonnegut-esque ideas can be derived from the tracks, but Comforts is an album so emotionally dense that the band behind the album encourages listeners to make up their own minds.

“We’re not going to impose an opinion on the audience,” singer/guitarist Tim Race says, earnest as I've ever seen him. “We’re not going to tell them to expect a great record or expect an okay record, expect the same or expect something completely different. We are happy to tell them about it musically and subjectively and in terms of its literature, but at the same time it’s all about what people take out of it.”

The album demands digestion, even analysis – something more than just casual auditory browsing, to say the least. Comforts is not an album to listen to in a thoughtless way as one hurries about everyday activities, unless one’s everyday activities include questioning the perception of modern society with both sobering vulnerability and channeled aggression. Sounding as if it were penned by those who are haunted simultaneously by the past and the future, Comforts will eerily cement itself in local listeners’ heads and hearts for years to come.

But Russenorsk fans, many of whom tirelessly supported the band through what Race described as last year’s “constant tour of Athens,” can expect more than heady lyrical themes in Comforts. With the album’s two most fervent tracks leading the album, there is an undeniable sense of organized chaos pushing Comforts forward. While these first two songs – respectively titled “Heart” and “Give Me the Devil” – feature post-punk punch courtesy of Race’s beautifully wavering vocals and trembling guitar reverb, Inscho and Race unflinchingly point to Martin’s cello lines as the source of noisy experimentation within the band’s evolved sound. Martin views his unconventional cello style as rock cello.

“There’s one difference between classical cello and rock cello,” Martin says. “In classical cello you have to be very precise all the time; in rock cello you don’t. The biggest thing going into this record is that there is a guitar and there are drums. There are some songs where I am the bass player. Like in 'Give Me the Devil,' I play like a punk bass player.”

Punk is quite a jump from folk, which is the genre generally used by Russenorsk members to describe the band’s first record, titled In a Great Wave of Horns, throughout our interview. The fellows, however, simultaneously express a disdain for the concept of flimsy musical classifications that seem to fit like a pair of shoes a half-size too small. What can be agreed upon is the assertion that the trio’s acoustic sound changed quite profoundly with the addition of Inscho’s percussion skills in September 2007.

“We are a rock band now,” Martin says without the slightest sense of hesitation. “We used to be a folk duo, but it’s undeniable now – we’re a rock band. And that’s alright – we can be a rock band.”

With the addition of an expanded rhythm section came a pulsating sense of rock’n’roll that energized the band's live performance – an aspect that is far from lost in translation through the echoing atmosphere of Comforts. But perhaps more profoundly, a more organic approach to creating music followed.

“I think we were really limiting ourselves in the beginning, or at least I was,” Race admits. “I really wanted to fit into something and it was really succinct what I wanted to do. I think it took Zach coming into this band and opening up the floodgates for me to realize that you just have to let things happen. Playing live before was tense and careful, and at least now it feels more honest. We have a bigger sound now, and I think that’s more honest to who we are musically.”

Throughout our time together, the members of Russenorsk speak often, though vaguely, about big sounds and big ideas. Russenorsk seems to be the type of band that entertains – and pursues – the individual ideas of its members, lofty or otherwise. Perhaps the most notable aspect of Comforts is that it is an album that takes risks by manifesting big ideas – a comfort afforded by the band's creative freedom and fine-tuned by watchful outsiders. These outsiders include 3 Elliott Studio's resident producer Josh Antonuccio and mastering engineer Jeff Lipton of Boston's Peerless Mastering, whose clients include the likes of Wilco, The Magnetic Fields and Andrew Bird ("Jeff had just finished mastering Andrew Bird's latest before mastering Comforts," Race half-brags).

The band's transformation to mature, confident risk-takers did not happen overnight and it did not happen beyond public eyes. For the trio, whose founding members Race and Martin met when they lived in the same dorm freshman year, performing live almost every weekend and immersing themselves in the local scene played an integral role in the band's progression.

“We played so many shows last year. So many,” Inscho begins. “I think that was great for us because we were able to understand where we were going, and we were influenced by the other bands we were playing with in Athens. But most of all, we were able to test out the waters by playing so many shows. We’d practice and write a song, play it at the show and see what happens. If we like it, great; if not, we can try something different. It was a good thing for us. People may have gotten burned out on us, but we didn’t care – we wanted to play and get used to the stage.”

Oversaturation in a small town, however, is not something to which Russenorsk members turn a blind eye with the release of Comforts. The band’s former pace is not a future aspiration for its members, perhaps partially because it is simply not an option at this juncture. All three members are involved in production of the student film project "Trailerpark."

“We just released a new album, and we don’t want to beat this one to death,” Race says with a chuckle.

The common adage about absence making the heart grow fonder could help Russenorsk this time around, but I doubt they'll need much besides their poignant new songs to captivate fans.
- Speakeasy Magazine

By Mike Breen


This trio might just be the sleeper highlight of MidPoint. With lushness and grace, Rossenorsk (named for an extinct Russian-Norwegian pidgin language developed in the Arctic) makes lilting, emotional songs often driven by persistent acoustic strumming and buoyed by organic atmospherics, chiming guitar and rise-and-fall additives like cello and impulsive percussion. The band’s latest album In a Great Wave of Horn is loaded with great, unique “Folk” styled lyrics and a sorta Fleet Foxes meets Bright Eyes kind of vibe.
Dig It: I’m not positive, but this might be “Freak Folk.” It’s certainly folksy, but getting creative with a storied format doesn’t necessarily make one a freak. (MB) - Cincinnati CityBeat

by Chris DeVille

"The trio from down Rte. 33 crafts gorgeous indie-rock power ballads with guitar, cello, drums and just a pinch of technology. Their upcoming album, Comforts, promises to be one of Ohio's finest debuts this year." - Columbus Alive

by Kelly Kettering

Ambient indie rockers Russenorsk have won Athens audiences over since 2007 with
simple yet symphonic songs and powerful live performances.

Their first full-length album, Comforts, which is being released today, is
certainly an accurate reflection of the band's reputation.

Russenorsk's music is always very powerful when heard live, even though the band has only three members. The willful yet wavering voice of singer and
guitarist Tim Race is similar to other art rock artists, such as Win
Butler of Arcade Fire. Race knows how to utilize his voice in a sweet,
almost cherubic way for the album's softer and more whimsical songs
like "Naked Light (Break-In)" and "Easy Bird."

However, Race still manages to forcefully belt out "Give me the Devil!" and one of
Russenorsk's most recognizable songs, "Buzz + Spit."

"Buzz + Spit" is unique in that it can be listened to over and over again and
never gets old. What makes the song so laudable, however, is the
distinctive beat played by drummer Zach Inscho and cello by Jack
Martin. Inscho's ability to capture such a deeply heart-thumping beat
perfectly counteracts Martin's cello and Race's quavering voice.

Although it is only eight tracks long, this album is a perfect expression of the
contradictions that make up Russenorsk: shy yet loud, willing yet weary
and entertaining yet thoughtful. Russenorsk will be selling CDs at its
CD release show tonight at The Union for $10. The record will be on
iTunes and CD Baby sometime in February. - The Post