TOKIO (RUS)

Tokio’s third album has been titled Vybirayu Lyubov’ (I Choose Love), since each track on it features the word ‘love’, but for Shizofreniya Mira (Schizophrenia of the World). “Here, love isn’t just relations between a man and a woman – first of all, it’s the feeling that we have for this world and the One who has created it,” says Tokio’s frontman, Yaroslav Malyi. “Our new songs show the sensations of the man who takes a detached view on what’s happening. And that view is of the greatest importance, because it gives one the opportunity to sense the presence of love in every moment of our life.”

It took Tokio three years to record the album consisting of 11 songs, and the recording took place in different countries (Russia, Great Britain, France, Portugal and Israel). Besides the band, it features some session musicians (drummer Dmitriy Sevast’yanov and Denis Transkiy, a wizard of electronic music). The album has 11 quite diverse compositions. “We’ve joined several styles and genres – from guitar trance and techno to rock, ballads and lyrical tracks.”

The album’s first single, Dogonim (We’ll Catch Up), has become soundtrack for the cult game Need For Speed and has been released in 80 countries of the world. Video for the track is to receive TV airplay in December. The video, shot in Kiev, resulted from the creative collaboration of Tokio with popular Ukrainian band Druga Rika and director Viktor Skuratovskiy. “We did the video in just about 20 minutes,” recalls Yaroslav, “Without any permission from the authorities, we shut off Kreshchatik, which caused incredible congestion. Thanks God, everything was shot in no time, for just the time we finished there, on went Yushchenko’s motorcade. If it had taken us just a bit longer, that would have caused us a lot of trouble.”

The outfit is going to shoot videos for two more songs, Ya Vybirayu Lyubov’ (I Choose Love) and Ledokol Nadezhda (Nadezhda (Hope) Ice-Breaker), to follow up Dogonim. Negotiations are being held with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in order to bring to life the conception of the video Ya Vybirayu Lyubov’. “In this video we’re going to have 1500 soldiers involved, 20 helicopters and 40 tanks – all of the advanced design and in operational service of the Russian army,” revealed Yaroslav Malyi the band’s grand schemes. “The message is that power is not where weapons are – it’s where love is, and it’s only love that can change this world.” The video for Ledokol Nadezhda will be no less ambitious – it’s planned to be shot in the North Pole. “The main idea of this video is whatever happens, whatever emergency one faces, he/she should never lose hope and faith.”

The photo session to promote the release has been made by a Polaroid camera. “In this photo session we tried to catch the mood of the late 1980s/early 1990s, the atmosphere of romance, hope and expectation of something new to come that was going to change our life for good,” recalls Tokio’s frontman. The cover of the album has been designed by Yaroslav’s daughter, 14-year-old Yana. “She saw Tokio as four people with one and the same face but of different hues, and when we turn the first page, there’s an endless amount of people with the same face of different hues. We’re all linked to one another – even the kids see that. That’s why the final track of the album features a children’s choir sing, “There’s quite enough pain all around, let’s fill this world with love,” and that’s all we want to say and to do today.”