Smak

Smak were one of the four legs of the table that held up the entire rock opus of Yugoslavia, alongside Grupa 220, Indexi, and Pop Masina (while Bijelo Dugme served as the board).

This album always has me thinking Smak was a thinking man's band, like Gentle Giant or Camel in the west. While other rock bands in Yugoslavia had some levels of technical proficiency, their style of playing never really went into depth and flair as Smak did. The guitar work of Točak is some of the best on the Yugoslavian musical scene, filled with both virtuosity and a beautiful bluesy style, and Kepa's drumming is an unparalleled style of jazz fusion drumming that always intrigued me, especially on Perle and Mračni Mol, two songs that made me fall in love with the art of drumming.

Laza Ristovski is one of the better organ players, and it's evident on the jazzish Put od Balona. It's usually forgotten in a sea of good Smak compositions, but I can't help it but applaud how the band is in sync on the jam session.

Smak did a lot of things right on this one. I guess there's a case to be made that this debut is more of a showcase of talent, rather than an attempt to create a cohesive album, but I'd disagree. Smak is very much a melancholic odyssey that I recommend to anyone.