Here are a couple of very different bands for 
- 2 bands starting with the letter O:
1) Onuka
Style: Electro-Folk
Country: Ukraine
This is a band I've discovered by accident while I was staying in a Hotel in Budapest and decided to turn on the TV to see what kind of stuff the Hungarians watched. I was zapping through the channels and I stopped at a live concert that was going on... the sound of the music wasn't like anything I've ever listened. 😁
The band was created by Nataliia Zhyzhchenko and Yevhen Filatov. This is a large group of musicians, the band is composed by 11 elements and they play a vast number of instruments from a keyboard to a bandura, a drimba, a trembita and they even include a Cossack's trumpet.
This variety of unknown instruments surprised me and kept me listening and watching the show until the end. As if that wasn't enough, they were being accompanied by an Ukrainian Orchestra entitled the Naoni Orchestra. The number of musicians on stage was quite impressive and they were all tuned and synced like a Swiss Watch. 🤗
This song was part of that show and it was the one that I loved the most. It's called Відлік / Countdown... and it has a long intro. If you want to skip the intro please follow this link and jump right into the action at 2:23.
The lyrics are quite repetitive but the voice is addictive enough for me to want to listen to it, over and over again.
I like the detail of the countdown in the backscreen marking the countdown for a music called... Countdown. That was a nice touch! 😊
Here are the lyrics and the translation:
| Ukrainian | English |
|---|---|
| Me want breathe | Я дихати хотіти |
| Me ending conversation | Я припиняти розмова |
| Me starting countdown | Я натискати відлік |
| Only the future - me ready | Тільки майбутнє готовий |
If the language seems strange to you, you're not alone. I felt the same way...
According to the band, this is a robot trying to speak human. 😁
2) Otep
Style: Metal / Metalcore
Country: USA
The band's name is the first name of Otep Shamaya, the lead vocalist and only fixed member of the band since 2010. Through the years, 7 more members participated in the studio albums and 15 more played on the live tours.
The songs are very political, nearly always with a sharp critic on society and ranging from themes such as war and capitalism to human rights and gay and lesbian rights.
Otep Shamaya is definitely one of those black sheep of society! She has a very unique singing style mixing Rap with Metal, Clean Vocals with Screaming and Growling. 😈
The songs T.R.I.C. and Confrontation are perfect examples of that... Just check out some excerpts of the lyrics:
Sounding battle stations - my warface in place
Total annihilation - your existence has been erased
Its the renaissance - time to switch up and change
The path the paragraphs infiltrate your brain
That's part of the track T.R.I.C. which stands for The Revolution Is Coming:
Drowning in atrocities
Riot gear, the slaves are here
Piling corpses high
It's the rich man's war
But it's the poor that fight
More capitalist crimes
More enemies than allies
No W.M.D.'s
Who gives a fuck if they die?
And these are part of Confrontation, an even harsher critic on society:
I hope you have liked these 2 bands. 😁
If you want to join the challenge, visit the announcement post, here: Music A to Z Challenge #O and use the tag #a-zmusic.
See my previous entries here:
- A) The Agonist & Arch Enemy / Atakama & Amely Sky [Metal]
- B) Багира & Blind Ivy [Metal]
- C) Conquer Divide & Cripper [Metal]
- D) Dark Tranquility & Dead Sara [Metal / Rock]
- E) Eths & Expellow [Metal]
- F) Fine Fine Titans & Frantic Amber [Metal]
- G) Green Jellÿ & GWAR [Comedy Rock / Comedy Metal]
- H) Hiromi Uehara & Haggard [Jazz / Metal]
- I) In Evil Hour & Infected Rain [Punk / Metal]
- J) Jinjer & Joss Stone [Metal / Soul]
- K) Koalas Desperados & Katzenjammer [Reggae / Hip-Hop / World Music / Folk Rock]
- L) LaScala & Louna [Rock / Alternative Rock / Fusion]
- M - Part 1) Mayra Andrade & Mariana Aydar [World Music / Popular Brazilian Music]
- M - Part 2) Moonspell & Mortad [Metal]
- N - Part 1) Nneka & Norah Jones [Reggae / Soul / R&B / Jazz]
- N - Part 2) Nightwish & Nevermore [Metal]