Reviews by deksametazon

You don't hear a lot of female-fronted punk outfits, let alone a good one. Behind the Realms of Madness borders between anarcho-punk and trash metal (colloquially known as crust punk around these parts), with a lo-fi production, and a lot of pent up energy, all packed in a grand package of less than 30 minutes.

Speaking of small package, it's amazing how this album can feel so fast-paced and punk, but at the same time be like a progressive rock album with its solos and exploration of the sonic hat.

A fairly competent album. Bill channels his Richard Hawley style of crooning with this one, adding chamber instrumentation with a dash of self-inspection and diving into the world of heartbreak and loneliness.

The problem I've encountered here is that as the album draws closer and closer to the eventual end, it gets more and more boring because of the lack of a "broader spectrum" approach. I know not all albums can, nor should, go with that, but almost 50 minutes of the same flavor of singer-songwriter gets really pale and soporous. So much in fact, that I can't remember any song in particular that stood out, but as a whole, the album is a nice pastoral walk through the rocky fields overlooking the ocean and a quick stroll through small communities along the way

Decent pastoral indie rock. Not really my jive, the vocals are a bit annoying, but the instrumentations are decent and fine. The duo of The Air and Sleep All Day are favs here from an otherwise forgettable project.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2025: #9 An artist's 13th studio album (27th Album)

Usually, if someone releases their 13th album, by then they have nothing to prove and are just either making music to try to catch the thing (which they very obviously can't) or doing whatever they want because they have proven that they have (or had) the thing. Todd firmly falls into the second category. His heyday has passed, and now he's just doing whatever, very evident with this album.

Very on par with the musical climate of its time. Pop rock with the dated, sophisticated polish of Elvis Costello and a less croonery Simply Red, and a penchant for whitening black soul. In essence, whatever you expect from mainstream Rundgren, is what you get here, nothing more.

First of all, I need to mention that this album is made up of two EPs, the first called "Do" and the second called "Od." This is a very important detail to include when reviewing this music.

The first EP, or the first 5 songs of the album, is a delicate collection of songs that showcase Rundek's ability to bring emotion and intimacy into play like he has done time and time again throughout the years.

The second EP is at best a decent exploration of post-punk and art rock styles similar to Haustor, with atmospheric and nearly jazz-like playing, except for the last track, which fits well with the first half.

It all rounds up to a 3/5, at the end of the day.

The follow up to Apokalipso continues in the same vain and within the same inspirational mindset of its predecessor, though it does explore the domestic folkloric melodies more. Darko's talent of making hit songs is still present here in songs like Otok (Island) and Ljubav Se Ne Trži (Love is Non-Marketable) with Ay Carmela are still staples, and widely known songs across multiple generations. This album is the real start of fascination with theatrical presentation, and a use of more widespread influences such as flamenco and French folk music, but also features some characteristic soundscapes found in Haustor's debut album.

Surely some people argue that this album is the pinnacle of Darko's solo career. I'd share that sentiment if it wasn't as lengthy as it is. At moments, it feels as if the creative energy is being milked for the sake of filling up the CD format, which really hurts the enjoyment, especially near the end. Nonetheless, it's still a good album.

Ruke is more of the same as the last album, except Ruke, unlike the last album, feels less like a transitional album of trying to find a new artistic home, and more like a confident march into a familiar space.

The concept he's going for should feel familiar at this point: theatrical Mediterranean folk as a main driving force, with faint glimpses of the fading aura of industrialization and the ruins it left.

A lot of great songs here, done with love by a cast of experienced musicians, Darko Rundek continued to ride his wave of fame high as he did in the 80s.

Apokalipso is what Tom Waits would've sounded like if he retreated to a warm and mellow tropical beach instead of the cold and cramped New York.

After a few years of working in Paris in the theater industry, Darko returns with Apocalypso, one of the canon, post-war, albums of Yugoslavia. It opens up quickly with the staple of any live show, the self-titled Apokalipso, which promises a lot, but only delivers some of it, the rest being shrouded in mysteriousness.

The whole album may seem like a cabaret show, but it's more akin to that post seasonal feel of the Mediterranean, when the days are cold and windy and there are only but a few people walking around. Most of the album is a collage of that life, when most people lived without not a lot of purpose, and not a lot of place to go. Strajk Zeljeznicara being one of those songs, which is a slice of the inner workings of a railway worker, and the stresses of being underpaid and overworked.

There are absolute classics, with the nocturnal, mysterious atmosphere taking it really far in terms of quality, but some more jovial parts of the album are filler, like Šuvar i varivo. Thank the heavens there isn't a lot more of it. The back end sequence from 7 to 10 is probably the apex of the album, while the beginning and end songs are good building blocks towards enjoyment.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2026: #46 An Anarcho-Punk album between the years of 1981 and 1986 (12th Album)

Death Church sounds like hardcore punk filtered through long black hair and dark shaded glasses, if you catch my drift. Shame I'm past my punk days, because this sounds much fresher and more unique than most punk.

I liked Dutchmen, with its noisy guitars and industrial backbone, Blissful Myth with the marching-style rhythm and Radio Schizo for the "RADIO SCHIZO!" background screams. It's no frills, all thrills, this album. Very good stuff present that I highly recommend!

A wacky-tacky proto-indie album that I have no idea how I got to know. If you can handle the cringe of the second track, the rest of the album is pretty nice. Good even.

With a lot of elements we will know later as staples of neo-psych and indie music, Ruben looks to some and albums, with some alt-rock inspiration from, and at parts, the mysterious vocal delivery of to create an album with a lot of introspective, vaguely complex, and eclectic meat to it underneath the childlike, satirical ADHD-esque crust.

This one is so well-made. On the surface, Bryan Ferry carries it with his suave presence, but once you reach in deeper, you feel the abundance of guitars, synths, and wind instruments like the oboe and saxophone, that give the album some well deserved depth that won't leave you indifferent.

Even on their debut, Roxy Music knew what makes an album become loveable and an instant classic. The way the second side goes full artsy introspection, as opposed to the bombastic and glam side A is one of those subtle decisions that give the album that artistic shading that makes it more vibrant and full of character.

The second and final album by Roxy Music with the fabulous and genius Brian Eno is an expansion of their debut sound, both on the slickness meter which would only continue to grow under the suave Bryan Ferry, and on the instrumental end forefronted by both Manzanera and the aforementioned Eno.

Which means both sides of the coin grow even larger. Their debut was confident, but For Your Pleasure grew into both genres very well rode the wave they generated.

The three songs of In Every Dream Home a Heartache, Bogus Man and Blue Lagoon all show Eno's and Manzanera's instrumental chops and maturity as musicians, and those front few track which dominate under the sophisticated spell of Ferry.

In the end, we get an album both mainstream and accessible, alongside being experimental in others. A true treat for glam lovers who want to expand their tastes a bit.

It has all the marks of an album I'd hate, but I missed the warm sound of the early 2000s when I first heard this one, and it slipped right through into my library. A lot of influences come here to create a fan of different sounding tracks that are all tied in by this beautiful urban atmosphere with a lush pop feel.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2023: #15. A jazz album recorded after 2015 (47th Album)

Nothing "oh so wow" as is with a vast majority of modern jazz releases. The vibraphone gives off this lounge vibe, but it's mostly lost behind the wind instruments. The album lacks anything that would set it apart as a piece of music that could be listened to and analyzed more closely. The playing is done in a textbook manner and safely, without experimentation, staying within the boundaries of norms.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2026: #1 A popular album you've been putting off listening to (6th Album)

Baby's first "art" album? It started well, but as soon as the orchestra walked in, it almost turned to a Netflix-equivalent of an album. I can't shake the feeling that this feels like a movie crammed into a 50-minute album.

Almost. Rosalia has a great voice, and the arrangements are nice, but they don't really go anywhere beside a few moments where they decide to cautiously venture out only to either overstay their welcome or do nothing on the follow-up. A bit frustrating, honestly.

Turn It On! is a quirky power pop album that harkens back to the likes of Blondie, Suzy Quatro, Heart and other bands of the 70s and 80s that employ classic punk ethos in their sound, but makes the sound marketable. This album is no different, it's cheesy in the most 80s way possible. Safe instrumental play all around, vocal work that wears the influence of Debbie and Suzy on its forehead, rather than on its sleeves.

Even if you like this type of music, there are much better albums from the decade it originated from, but for a debut album, it's not bad. But also not good either. A man can wonder if they can go over the hump of sounding too much like their influences on future releases.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2026: #25 An album recorded in one session only (25th Album)

7th of March, Thursday night. Sonny, Shelly Manne and Ray Brown enter the studio and, after brainstorming for four hours, record this album. And after knowing those facts, the sound of this one makes sense - it's organic and in the moment. It's also arid, but that's by design - Sonny wanted the album to have the vibe of the dusty and sparse wild west, a place he first visited when recording this album.

For what it is, it's good. The musicianship is there, and the trio let each other play and create while not trying to insinuate themselves. But... It's 1957, so those ideas don't have much to stand these days.

The Stones' excursion into psychedelic pop might not have gotten them as much backlash as Dylan finally finding a working socket, but it still garnered them some negative press because of some obvious homework copying present from the Beatles.

Still, I like it more than Sgt. Peppers. It doesn't have the same amount of pop hits, nor is it the gritty Stones from before and after this album. It's a full-blown psych-trip of an album, accompanied by stellar vocal tracks, but meandering raga-jam ones. The obvious standout is "She's Rainbow", but "Citadel" is also cool and "The Lantern" as well, but that's about it. Obviously a product of its time, but a good one. I'm glad it has got its fair share of revisionist magic, because it deserves it, and I'm also glad I spent my allowance on a vinyl copy of this, because it's truly a good record, despite it all.

Tattoo You is widely deemed as the last Stones album you should give a damn about. For good reason. Side A sees them return to their rollicking sound from earlier in their career, with a bit of influences from some contemporary bands like The Cars. But even with that idea of looking around to see what others were doing being a good way to go about things, the first half is very anemic and almost sterile, with nothing much to hang onto.

Unlike the B side which I would say is one of the better 5 song runs in their career. Most definitely in the later part of their career. Worried About You, Heaven and No Use in Crying are three nice slower numbers and ballads, and Waiting on a Friend is a great single that mixes reggae and pop, and nails that easy-going tropical atmosphere.

I have an LP copy of this album, and let me tell you, I've only ever spun the first side once or twice, when I first got it. That's how much of a disparity there is between the two sides.

To me, Sticky Fingers is exactly what the second half of the Rolling Stones career and their overall brand represent: hedonism and energy. From the provocative cover to the musicianship at hand.

At its core, it's straight hard rock. It's one of those albums that condenses what the age-old genre of "r o c k" is all about. In what I deem to be Mick Taylor's (yes, Mick Taylor!) recording masterpiece, we have 46 minutes of fire that began on Let It Bleed and was sculpted here. Their African-American influences are even more prominent here, with a lot more soul and southern swamp influences present.

Again, the A side triumphs over the B side in terms of sheer power. It's hard for anything to beat the run from "Brown Sugar" to "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" (which showcases Mick's lead guitar prowess), but side B has some of their more underrated cuts. "Sister Morphine" is a great haunting experience, "Dead Flowers" is a nice country blues composition, and "Moonlight Mile" shows the Mick Twins are a very formidable tandem that works as well as the Glimmer Twins duo.

Sticky Fingers is the Rolling Stones at their peak. After this, their music would become overtaken and overshadowed by excess, which screwed them over from an artistic side. Still, we're left with an amazing catalog that only a few could ever reach.