It's difficult to describe
Kino's second offering as a proper album as such. As the name
46 suggests, this is just some unfinished business left over from the band's debut,
45. Having assembled a makeshift lineup to record his first album, songwriter Viktor Tsoy gamely carried on recording while trying to assemble a new band from scratch. As a result, what we have here is simply a bunch of lo-fi demos, mainly recorded with very little or no accompaniment beyond the odd half-hearted overdub. For the most part, the songs inhabit familiar Tsoy territory and fans can catch a glimpse of some stripped down standards, such as "Muzika" "Voln," "Sasha," and "Dozhd Dlya Nas" which would go on to become fully realized on later albums. Otherwise, the
Serge Gainsbourg-like, "Ya Idu Po Ulitse," in particular, stands out as an enjoyable, well-developed nugget. It's a fleeting exception however. Most of the others fail to distinguish themselves, and remain here alone in their very roughest form. Overall, this is certainly an intriguing and intimate glimpse of the man himself, and at times it's much like being present at an unplugged performance in his bedroom. There is just enough idiosyncrasy and energy to carry it off, but all in all, this is one for fans only.