Reviews by deksametazon

I was never a huge fan of the satire aspect in Zappa's music. I definitely respect it, but I find little to empathize with from a musical perspective.

That's why I thoroughly enjoy Hot Rats. It doesn't rely on the listener's ability to understand the intricacies, workings and the absurdity of society, but is just pure musicianship on display. And it's a lot of fun!

Peaches en Regalia is one of my favorite compositions (it's my ringtone!). The guitar shredding is such an ear tingling sound, but Ian Underwood caries the song with his whimsical backbone. Willie The Pimp is spectral blues, if such a thing exists, and Son of Mr. Green Genes is transcendental, while Gumbo Variations show Zappa as a profound composer of long-form intricate compositions.

It's also fun seeing the cast that were instrumental in creating this masterpiece: Captain Beefheart, Jean Luc Ponty, and a fifteen-year-old Shuggie Otis. As much as Hot Rats is Zappa's masterpiece, it's also a CV-level accomplishment for these guys too.

The backing band sounds good. It's heavy, and in moments, ominous. A big shame that the vocalist doesn't do anything particularly good or new that other bands have done in the same period.

With a slightly more daring band, and a better vocalist, this would turn more heads. Then again, saying that is like saying Renault would be better with the chassis and motor of a Ferrari.

The career of Zabranjeno Pusenje can be divided into two parts: before the Marshall affair and after it. This album marks a turning point, both in style and substance.

The band traded its punk snarl for a cleaner pop-rock approach; whether that's good or not is up to your ears. Mind you, the edge is still there, but it's evident that this album has the state looming over it, especially with songs like Murga Drot, Dan Republike, and Balada o Pisonji i Zugi. These songs often seem to glorify the state or police on the surface, but offer subtle criticism underneath, a form of coded subversion that the band mastered during this era. Because of that, this collection of songs can come off like anthemic ditties of the state, rather than the kind of sharp commentary on youth in 1980s Yugoslavia found on their first two records..

Overall, it's still a good album to return to on a semi-regular basis. It's their most commercial effort, and the singles that came from this are probably their best.

Last night when I watched the podcast with the guitarist and, one could say, one half of the creative core of Zabrenjeno Pušenja at the time, Sejo Sexon, I was dying to play this creative magnum opus of theirs again.

Sound wise, it's an absolute fun to listen to, even more so if you come from the Balkans, even more if you can find yourself in between the lines (and you will find yourself). The band's approach to songwriting highlights what Sarajevo was through the late 70s and early 80s, a melting pot of different social layers, of which the lower you were, the more fun your days as a youngster were. Nele Karajlic, the singer, always had the aura to represent the guys in the circle who'd always get rejected by girls, beaten by stronger guys, or how the kids today would say, the guys who would get cucked by the world around them. That man, if he wasn't destined for a musical career, would strive in the acting world (which was evident in Top Lista Nadrealista, a show that aired at the time, which was their TV product). There are even a couple of songs where they attack the government of the time in an abstract way, which was a move by a person with balls considering that they were signed to the biggest record company in the former country.

On the instrumental front, it is much more diverse than punk, but at the same time it is on that level of raw and crude playing, which gives it even more charm, especially in this time when everything needs to be polished enough so that you can see the reflection of your face.

Of course, almost 40 years after its release, it still holds up very well, which could be attributed to the fact that punk has essentially stayed in the same form since the 80s, so Dok Cekas Sabah Sa Sejtanom has aged like wine together with the movement, especially with the New Primitives movement itself. In my opinion, this is the pinnacle of Zabranjeno Pusenje. Making a double album that is good from start to finish and almost without any hiccups is the only thing Azra has managed to do in this area, which puts them in a select company.

Their first album. Some revere it as their best, and that they went downhill because of progressive distancing from their punk/garage roots, some, including me, say it's good, but the best is yet to come. Beautiful songwriting that is still palpable in Sarajevo with some lyrics that are used in everyday talk not only in Sarajevo, but all across Bosnia accompanied by good musicianship with a wide range of instruments.

Still, it can get rough around the edges, but for a debut, it's as good as it can get. Recommended.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2026: #49. A Yung Gravy album. (36th Album)

I think the thing worse than being bad is being unmemorable. Back when he first came onto the scene with Mr. Clean, which was plastered on all the YouTube edits, he seemed like an artist whose popularity would hinge on the absurd, which is even more evident on Sensational. He rides his persona all the way through, and by only listening to the first few songs, you already get enough of what Gravy will do for the entire thing. Very cleanly executed, Mr. Clean. Maybe too cleanly.

Every time I listen to them, I like them more and more. An incredible album that followed in many ways what the West was offering at the time, but what I like most is Raša Đelmaš's drumming style, especially on the track "Noć je Moja", which at times reminds me of "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain, but with a slightly darker tone.

(An excerpt I wrote for a defunct online magazine a few years back. Too lazy to add more.)

By this point, Neil had recovered from his traumas that struck him years prior. Sorta.

After the Ditch Trilogy, even Neil knew he needed to record music to bring him back to on the right side of fame. But those who went through any kind of bad period know: trauma doesn't heal.

So is evident in the music on this album. Zuma threads the fine line of being a downtrodden experience while simultaneously being upbeat enough to see radio play. For me, two track stand out here: Danger Bird and Cortez the Killer, which are proto-slowcore masterpieces that are good in any way played, be it in studio or in a live setting. The rest of the album is full of folk-rock detailing failing relationships, and introspective philosophy about the mind of a broken, albeit recovering man. Even the ballads here pack a big punch with their lyrics and desolate instrumentation.

I would characterize this album as the final throw-up of a recovering addict going through the withdrawals of loneliness and depression, after which he would close a hard-fought chapter, and begin a period of sobriety.

Neil walks in, says "we're doing this in that-and-that way", Crazy Horse nods, they play, and make one of the best albums ever. A simpler time when there was no inner conflict, no emotional turmoil, and no visceral hate. Just pure talent on display.

The two closers on each side are the creme de la creme of this album. The jammy grungy guitar interplaying between Neil and Danny is what makes this such an enjoyable listen (also what makes them such easy inclusion into any live set). Cinnamon Girl is a grandiose entry into a prolific era, and the duo of The Losing End and Running Dry is a foreshadowing of Neil's talent in penning songs that make your heart swell with emotion. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere is a quick song that was once a favorite of mine, due to its simple nature and the longing for, well, a retreat to a simple way of living.

Overall, it's an album full of anger and bitter emotions, a staple of Neil's career, but compared to what's to come, a very tame effort, and commercial at that. A fun combo that yielded amazing results.

It's stupid to say, but this is what a bucket of gravel would sound like. Will I end it with that? Of course I will.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2025: #23 A live album from one of your favorite artists (50th Album)

The songs from Freedom and Ragged Glory were a tad bit messy on their respective studio recordings, mostly due to Neil's excess and overindulgence, especially on Ragged Glory which had two 10 minute songs which were mostly jam like pieces that get a bit lost in the listening process.

Well, that's where Weld comes in and fixes them by actually giving them a setting that fits them. And they're also much harder and noisier! Goes to show how much of a showman Neil is on the stage.

The gravelly tone of the guitar on Crime in The City and Rockin in the Free World is amazing, and ups the ante on it, Cortez is amazing as always, the cover of Bob Dylan's Blowin in the Wind with the air sirens and jets passing through is absolutely haunting, and who doesn't love a good rendition of Like a Hurricane. A 14-minute rollercoaster of emotion. There are a few duds sprinkled in, but with a 2-hour live document, it's bound to happen.

I haven't lived in the 90s, but I feel like this live album was a sight for sore eyes when it dropped, both for the public and Neil himself. It's still a sight for me, 34 years later.

Well, it's good, but not THAT good. It's probably my fault for listening to (and liking) Chrome Dreams before I put my mind to listening to Rust Never Sleeps. It also hurts that this was advertised as a live album, while in reality it's a jamboree of studio recordings mixed with a live audience, which, even after reading about it, I still don't quite understand.

But yeah, back to the music. There are some nice tracks here overall. Nothing too spectacular, though, other than the closer, which should probably be included in every discussion of the best songs he recorded. Both sides have their own charm, with the A side being more intimate, while side B brings out the nark and anger. It's a recommended listen, but there are better live recordings out there. Still, I'm glad I own it.

This album is like boogieing down in a bar, except the bar's been closed for 10 years, and your "boogie" is the stupor of a drunken homeless man. This album feels like Neil being strung up like a puppet at moments.

"Speakin Out" is a loose blues track, but listening to Neil play it the way he does, it makes me a bit uncomfortable, and "Roll Another Number" is an absolute stinker in the best way possible thanks to the way Neil just decides to take a step back from the microphone for the hell of it. At the same time, absolutely funny, but incredibly sad. I don't wanna go too much into individual songs, it's not my style, but the slow ode to depression and being beaten out, "Tired Eyes" is probably my fav. In short, as the albums progresses, it crumbles and breaks down in every aspect you look.

Truth be told, given its reputation, I expected it to be darker, but I feel like it being darker would just be a detriment and would be considered a mockery of itself. This way, it really reminds me of my own demon days. It's as real as it gets. And as good as it gets.

Time Fades Away marks the first live album of an impressive live discography. Sadly, this one doesn't live up to the rest of the albums, but at least the songs are unique and can't be heard on any other release.

As is with most Neil Young albums, side A is the rockier side of the coin with country infused rock, with gravely, grungy guitars, and side B is a mix of atmospheric singer-songwriter with the closer, "Last Dance", being the clear-cut best track on here. The magnitude of the thing reminds me of Cowgirl in The Sand from.

It does lack the improv moments that made some live albums of his memorable for me, but it's not a detriment to the quality because the songs that are played, are played with heaps of talent under the belts of Neil Young and his compadres.

Out of all the Neil Young albums, this one had the most impact on me. The gutter punching desolation kills me every time I listen to it, and Neil's lazy rolling delivery is as sad of an achievement as it can get. The guy clearly knows how much he's worth, he just doesn't have anyone to celebrate it with.

So this is what we're left with: sadness, alienation and desolation.

There are cuts on side A that are great, like See The Sky About To Rain, Revolution Blues and Vampire Blues, but what makes this album stand out is the everlasting and eternal side B, and its three songs that can only be described as stunning, deep and emotional. Neil sounds defeated, but in a weird and perverted sense, glad. He doesn't hide behind anything, and he doesn't hide what he has to say, and in a way, his delivery gives the impression he's letting his soul speak what he deems to be necessary. Nothing superficial, just a lot of honesty, on both sides really.

Wildly uneven. You have good songs like The Loner, If I Could Have Her Tonight (highly reminiscent of All Tomorrow's Parties by VU) and What Did You Do to My Life?. But you also have duds like the two instrumental tracks, The Old Laughing Lady and the closer, which are stretched way too long and are mostly uneventful. The production is really lo-fi, which sometimes gets in the way, but other times it exemplifies the myth of the characteristic gravely desert sound.

Really a completionist piece. He has so many better albums that an average listener should hear.

Harvest was the first Neil Young album I really got into, so it will always have a special place in my heart.

That being said, I'll try to be as objective as I can, and objectively, out of the 6 albums from the seventies that can usually find their to the top of Neil's discography, Harvest has to be the least consistent one, boasting songs that are near the top of his catalog, while also having some of the weirdest ones from this period. And as others have pointed, and I agree, it has to be songs with the loud and over the top string arrangements. You can feel it's sort of a PR move, and that Neil doesn't fit in a song like There's a World, and A Man Needs a Maid (which I'll give credit to, is a decent song until the whole orchestral part),

But man, Harvest simultaneously has some of his best and most memorable tracks ever. Out On The Weekend is a great opener and instantly paints that pastoral picture of a mid-summer day on the porch, Old Man and Heart of Gold have that classical Neil Young wisdom, while The Needle and the Damage Done is a glimpse into the what the future holds for Neil. And if I'm being honest, Alabama and Words can be added to that list as well. Those are some great fuzzy hard rockers.

It's a good album, but those few tracks for me lower the rating. A shame really, because he couldn't quite achieve the mix of commercially and artistic viability he achieved on here until maybe the 90s.

One word to describe this album: triumphant. It's Neil Young back at his pure pastoral folkiness, with simple tracks that permeate love all throughout.

It truly feels like Neil Young finally conquering one of his toughest periods, and celebrating life. I don't think this one has any moments that stand out like on his previous albums, but it also doesn't have any songs that bring it down. Songs like Comes a Time, Already One and Four Strong Winds are all made similarly with warm acoustics, and Crazy Horse returns to give the album a bit of an edge with Look Out for My Love. The only iffy song is Motorcycle Mama, which, in my opinion, doesn't quite fit nor hit.

Overall, I think this is his most underrated album. It gets unfairly shadowed by his brothers, which are either noisier or more introspective, or just downright sad. And while it's not on their level, it's still just behind them in emotional power, which is why I fully recommend checking this one out after you're done with the NY main canon.

It's apparent why Neil didn't want this to be released. It does feel a bit all over the place. His previous releases all had some kind of theme and sound they revolved around, while Chrome Dreams feels like a compilation. A compilation of some beautiful tunes, mind you.

Will to Love is a slow burner, with Neil's lethargic delivery and sparse arrangements, it's a favorite of mine. Like A Hurricane, a close second, is a complete opposite: a tumbling onslaught of emotions. The rest is also a great deal good. I'd like to single out Stringman, and Hold Back The Tears with their laid back aura, and Sedan Delivery, which brings back some of the "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" energy, but also is one of those proto-grunge songs Neil Young would be known for later. It's also nice to hear Powderfinger in a studio setting.

Most songs would go on to be released separately on subsequent albums, and are usually hailed as high points in their respective packages.

This album is difficult for me to review. Not necessarily because it's emotionally difficult, or because it has some impenetrable quality that doesn't allow him to get into it properly. Far from that, After The Gold Rush is the most easily digestible album, with beautiful melodies, melancholic-uplifting lyrics that are all products of the time of creation.

The problem is that there is no moment that defines the creation of this album. For the previous one, it can be said that that moment is the implementation of Crazy Horse into the Neil Young canon, and for the Ditch Trilogy albums, I don't even have to tell how publicized the background is.

But that's the charm of the album. This is the proof that Neil doesn't need any background gimmick to push his music to the stars. After The Gold Rush is about 30 minutes of transition from a joyous hippie culture to a world where you either get serious or end up in a ditch, and the music somehow reflects that in a song like "After The Gold Rush". The whole album has the melancholy of the passage of time, as if you stand and calmly watch in disbelief how society and the environment change, and you are helpless to change anything except for yourself. The compelling storytelling absolutely reflects that, which is the strong point of this album. His picturesque and vivid imagination is stuff for the books.

So in short, it's a banger of an album. It falters a bit as it goes on, but that's because the first half is deeply cemented into the pantheon of Neil Young music, and hardly anything comes close. Recommended listening of course still stands.

Not a lot of outright indie can impress me, but Yo La Tengo's I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One" managed just that.

Beautifully intimate stuff that's looked out through various genres and moduses. It takes what bands like MBV, Stereolab, Dinosaur Jr., Pavement (a bit), and independent folksters did and distills it into a batch of songs that sound beautiful.

It's also nice hearing them the way they're sequenced. The beginning is infectious, and then it goes into full vibe territory and ends on a really nice note with My Little Corner of the World. I just hope my eventual vinyl copy has the same feeling to it.