Life’s pleasures are sometimes due to improbable encounters. Such is the case with this duo, whose name is that of a Russian all-terrain vehicle of legendary rusticity. She, of Armenian origin, lived in Minsk, Belarus, before settling in Tourcoing and becoming a singing teacher in Lille. He is a multi-instrumentalist, primarily a trumpet player with a background in jazz. They both studied at the Lille Conservatoire, but it was in a bar that they met in 2018. During their confinement, they released two videos that were a big hit, particularly with the Armenian community.
This expanded reissue of their debut album is not so much about the six new tracks as the second chance given to this invigoratingly fresh music. The vocals and instrumentation are in keeping with a certain Eastern European tradition, leaning towards orientalism, while remaining open to rhythms and sounds from other horizons. Listening to them will bring the whole world, sharing and good humour into your home. The clear, catchy vocals, percussion and melodies, often on trumpet, call for dancing. The few slower tracks are full of joy.
On stage, the duo transforms into a septet, as the studio versions reveal, being little oases for acoustic instruments, some of which are specific to world music. Their distinctive timbres are a pleasure to enjoy, and the soundstage is as full as it is light, with plenty of air between the instruments, making them easy to identify. Jaklin Baghdasaryan’s voice, which seems closer on the calmer tracks, flies over the compositions with its liveliness. It’s impossible not to get carried away by this music that celebrates encounters and love – a real joy, I tell you!
