Lyapis Trubetskoy

Their sound isn’t so much authentic as bizarre. Both ska and punk elements feel like they’ve been filtered a number a times, as if they’ve studied Madness and Green Day as opposed to The Skatalites and The Damned but that’s not a criticism because it’s that filter that makes things work. This may be a tribute to a lot of Western music, but it’s most definitely East European at heart and you’ll hear as much Gypsy folk in here as you will anything else. They may not have the bombast and power of a band like Kaiser’s Orchestra, who merge East and West in such a wonderful fashion, but there’s a lot to like here. What’s especially good about this collection is that (if these songs are placed in chronological order) then they’ve definitely improved year upon year. I’ll be honest though, I’m not sure I needed an hour of Belarussian ska/punk by means of an introduction but there’s no denying that this is a lot of fun. - Damian Leslie

Lyapis Trubetskoy is a band that is huge in Russia, where they fill venues to capacity. Their sound is akin to Gogol Bordello but with more of a ska twist. They push the limits with strong political lyrics, dark humour, and images of their culture's socialist past. Although the lyrics are in Russian, the strength and meaning of the songs really come through. Agitpop is exactly that - songs which agitate against a society of wealth and war. Most importantly, the songs are quite melodic. - Paula E. Kirman

"With hits like 'Kapital' or 'Ramonki' Lyapis Trubetskoy balances well between commercial success, underground credibility and an unique expression, which is also accompanied by visually sophisticated video clips and an original image and design brand. The lyrics are still ironic, but now they often boast a new socially critical and political dimension. 'Kapital' was the first of three albums, which can be seen as a triology, in which Lyapis defined Agitpop as their new brand mark. Thus you find the best songs of this trilogy compiled as Agitpop on this album here.
Their wild concerts have now developed into performances with front man Mikhalok in their centre as a magniloquent energy package and creative brain, reciting and agitating poems and slogans, using language and symbols of constructivism or socialist realism as part of a cultural heritage.
I have been hoping for a long time, that Lyapis Trubetskoy, as one of the most powerful, creative and interesting bands from post Soviet Union would finally release an album in the Western world. Now it finally happened. The fact, that Berlin label Eastblok Music has done it, makes me even happier, as they explicitly see themselves as musical mediators between East and West. As someone, who has been travelling to Belarus for more then 15 years, I am even happier, that for the first time a Belarusian band has made it onto a Western label, as Lypais is a band from a European country with a very vivid music scene, which we still don't know much about." - Ingo Petz, renowned German journalist and Belarus expert