“Tarkovski” is the lead single from BODEGA’s forthcoming album Our Brand Could Be Yr Life (due April 12, 2024 via Chrysalis Records). Of course the title is a reference to the great Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsy but also snow skiing. Guitarist and vocalist Ben Hozie noted that he was taken by Tarkovsky’s book Sculpting in Time and its rules and guidelines for filmmaking often broken by Tarkovsky in actual practice even while those principles are still useful. It’s a testament to how art is actually made and how any actually interesting artist has to reconcile inspiration and intuition with concepts and technique without being strictly limited by any of it. As the band has been playing the song live it has improvised the middle section with words selection considering their efficacy as a sound in the music more than the literal meaning. The song engages in a bit of genre and style time traveling as well with strong melodies in a fashion reminiscent of 1980s power pop and New Wave. The middle instrumental section sounds a bit like what might have happened if The Replacements did a cheeky, off the cuff tribute to both The Velvet Underground and The Clean with hypnotic, noisy, inexplicably beautiful and moving riffs. BODEGA as always finds a way to make a catchy song that goes off center into unpredictable territory and brings you along for the ride even if the person addressed in the song doesn’t really want to go on that ride despite asking to be taken to the zone whether as a deft reference to Tarkovsky’s deeply existential 1979 masterpiece Stalker and in the more cosmic sense or being in the area and headspace where the action happens or both. It’s a promising peek into the art punk heights BODEGA will take us to when the new record drops just over a week after Tarkovsky’s April 4 birthday. Watch the video for “Tarkovski,” a visual and thematic nod to the films of the director in a fog enshrouded forest, on YouTube and follow BODEGA at the links below.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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