Haustor

We all make mistakes. Some are big, some are small, but once we stop seeking perfection and admit that we are not beings of perfection and never will be, the world will be a much better place.

My mistakes were plenty, but one of mine is saying that this album is bad. Yes, I admit my sins, but the first step in redemption is admitting you were wrong, so here we are.

Haustor's self-titled album is, how do I say it, not unique and important in the grand scheme of things, but is intricately crafted and highly influential to the development of the Yugoslavian new-wave/rock scene and the Haustor sound they would be known and loved for.
The album starts with two straightforward new wave zingers in "Radio" and "Mijenjam Se", then even goes further into that territory in "Tko Je To", which has lyrics ranging from "ha ha children are naughty" to "what the fuck is that thing in the corner of my room" all while maintaining a happy, fun and jovial instrumental, which I find amazing. "60-'65" is a reggae-infused new-wave song that kinda foreshadows the melodies we'll be seeing in their subsequent albums. After that, we enter absolute banger territory from A5 to B4. "Moja Prva Ljubav" is an absolutely beautiful chill song about love and girls which saw big airplay all across Yugoslavia, which immensely helped this album and the band gain traction among a mainstream audience.

Now, the B side is where things get real. After finishing side A which was dominated by tip-top new wave songs that follow the formula set by contemporaries from around the globe, and around the Republics, comes side B comes in as a surprise and smacks in the back of your head and says "O sine nisi ti još ništa čuo".

"Noć u Gradu" and "Crni Žbir" are anxiety-filled fests with beautiful use of different instruments like the sax and synths that culminates in beautiful instrumental play in between Darko's cryptic and picturesque songwriting.

"Duhovi" = "Jesse, play "Duhovi", even if we scare the hoes"

"Duhovi" is probably my favorite song on this album, just because of how weird it is compared to anything that has been done in the entire Yugoslavian music scene. From its lyrics sung in the Zagorje dialect, to almost half of the song being drunken murmuring and the ending switch between the guitar strumming and Darko's anxiety-filled delivery to his spoken word ending, it just leaves you in this feeling of being awe-stricken and thinking to yourself "What the fuck did I just witness". After that ending, comes a fairly minimalistic "Lice" with amazing lyrical content that delves into society's need to put on a mask and hide true emotion and feelings, an act that is still relevant and that we do on a daily 40 years later, and will probably do for the next thousand years.

Side A shows the band has the potential in making themselves blend in with the crowds and go with the flow, while side B showed how much of a genius Rundek is at song structuring and musical writing. Recommended fully, from beginning to end.