Viktor Tsoi might be one of the most important rock stars you’ve never heard of.
The late singer and guitarist was the frontman of Kino, one of the first rock ‘n’ roll bands to flourish in the former Soviet Union. Tsoi died in a car accident in 1990 — shortly before the former capitalist country morphed into Russia.
Edmonton folk trio F&M are keeping his spirit alive by covering one of Kino’s tunes, Kukushka, on their latest intoxicating EP, Вечер в Москве (An Evening in Moscow).
The four-song effort was also inspired by vocalist Rebecca Anderson’s study stint in Moscow, a Russian cartoon, filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky and Madonna. (A delicate, rootsy melody reminiscent of Like a Virgin echoes in Old Photographs.)
Stream or buy/download the tunes via Bandcamp.
