Reviews by deksametazon

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2026: #47 An album from Russia. (14th Album)

A lot of the lyrical side of the album is a miss because of the language barrier (even if I understand some of it), but it's really forward-thinking and a trailblazer for some of the styles that are only recently getting the recognition. Obviously nothing that interests me, but who am I at the end of the day? A stranger on the internet? A fictional jug? A figment of your imagination?

It's hard to draw a concrete conclusion as to what's the difference between and this. This is as good as his debut, if not better at moments. It's definitely filled with more melancholic songs, and his knack for writing picturesque lyrics is better. A perfect album for when you want to feel like an outcast.

One of the best albums of the outlaw country genre. Instrumentally, it's nothing above average and quite simple (not a detriment, just a simple observation), but Kris' voice and ability to weave a beautiful picture of the lives of people who've been dealt cards from a different deck of cards than you and I, gives the album a new dimension that puts it well above the rest. The album didn't start well when it first got released, which is a damn shame, but I'm glad that several soaring stars decided to cover songs from this album and give "Kristofferson" a reason to be observed in the spotlight.

Not a bad album, I just have absolutely no reason to listen to this in my spare time.

Daleko najbolji Jugoslovenski progresivni album. Vjerovatno je za to najzasluzniji klavijaturista Kornelije Kovač, koji je po mom mišljenju jedan od onih muzičara koji je pomno pratio dešavanja na zapadu i išao korak za njima, ako ne i korak unaprijed u nekim aspektima.

U biti, ovo vise naginje ka jazz rocku sa primjesama nekog hard rocka, pa uz duzinu pjesama, bi se mogao okarakterisati kao progresivni rok, mada treba navesti da ima primjesa nekog folk roka i finih melodija džez fuzije. Put Za Istok je mozda najkompletnija rok pjesma 70ih, koja se i dan danas moze mjerit sa progresivnim rokom zapada, a tu cak imamo i neke malo avant garde u pjesmei Bezglave ja-ha horde.

Mnogo jak album o kojem bi se trebalo vise pricati, svakako mnogo vise nego o hard roku 80ih.

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By far the best Yugoslav progressive album. Keyboardist Kornelije Kovač is probably the most deserving of this recognition, as he is, in my opinion, one of those musicians who closely observed the events in the West and sometimes stayed a step ahead in certain aspects.

Essentially, this leans more towards jazz-rock with some hard-rock influences. Given the length of the songs, it might be described as progressive rock, although it's important to point out that it also features elements of folk rock and elegant jazz fusion melodies. " Put Za Istok " is arguably the most comprehensive rock song of the 70s, one that can still be compared to Western progressive rock today. Additionally, there are avant-garde influences in the song " Bezglave ja-ha horde, " along with vocal exercises present in " Moj Bol. "

A very powerful album that should be talked about more, certainly much more than hard rock in the 80s.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2023: #2 An album from 2023 (18th album)

Let's make some progress on this list as well. Knower is a band I heard about when Bandcamp dropped this album on me as one to watch out for when it comes out. Of course, in the meantime, I forgot about it, and I only remembered when I saw them on the RYM charts a few weeks ago.

The album itself is a mixture of funk and progressive pop with the addition of nu-jazz on the side. The group, although being on the scene for more than a decade, still has the ability to keep up with the musical landscape, and not be stuck in the mud of the 10s. I like their sense of creating infectious songs, which is present in almost every track, and the ambition present in every moment. Louis Cole has a knack for crafting atmosphere, and Genevieve has a beautiful voice that she uses well to shift and accompany any mood that Louis decides is fitting for the album.

Unfortunately, the album suffers from a serious disease called ADHD-itis, i.e. the need for everything to be in a fast, breakbeat style with hyper pop influences, which, in my opinion, greatly reduces my enjoyment of the album. It also doesn't help to notice the recycling of ideas from one song to another, especially in the instrumental parts, but it still has enough moments to be a decent listen.

Overall, even with the bad, there is a lot to be admired here, especially if you're looking for that modern synth funk/disco sound.

A soundtrack to a long journey across a country with no clear identity in search of yourself. I like to think of the psychedelic tinges of guitars as an audible display of the rider's journey, while the vast array of different samples that range from Elvis and Fleetwood Mac to electronic beats and throat singing as parts of the personality of the grounds our protagonist tracks through, searching for new horizons.

While "Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar in My Soul" is a cut I'm playing the most (and a song that made me dig into some Elvis songs in my free time), the entire album is a testament to the fact that immense talent is needed to craft, or better yet, glue together sounds of everyday life in such a way that they make a whole new meaning.

Oh also, the entire thing was recorded in one take. Genius display of creativity in my opinion if there ever was one, despite polarizing opinions on some of their more recognized stunts.

Kiwanuka makes a good pop soul album. It's much like a combination of indie aesthetics, Isaac Hayes and even a little bit of spacey Pink Floyd.

Its sophisticated nature is what makes or breaks the album. I think it does lack artistic wiggle room. The whole idea confines itself into this one dimensional space that makes the project hard to breathe, but surprisingly, even if sounds so polished and calculated, but it sounds just how it's supposed to to make this kind of music work. Kinda like that one goulash recipe that's a few ingredients tall, but has its own distinct charm.

Ah, 1967, the year when the psychedelics broke free. And so did the Kinks. They're free of their fuzzy garagy rock sound and fully embrace the English melancholic sunshine.

Waterloo Sunset is one of the GOATs, but End of the Season, Love Me Till the Sun Shines, Harry Rag, and David Watts are all great songs penned by the Davies brothers. Yes, I wrote those songs in reverse order.

It's great hearing their progression and maturity, and what's even better: their later works will only build on this.

A good batch of songs. It's sad that these didn't make the cut on Space Heavy.

All the songs would've lifted the album a bit on different fronts: Achtung and Time For Slurp with their atmospheric, swampy post-punk would've torn it like Half Man Half Shark and Dum Surfer did on The Ooz, and Whaleshark, and It's All Soup Now are cuts that definitely fit the slower mood Space Heavy set.

Glad he released these though, it would be a shame not to. Good stuff all around.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2024: #14 An album that starts and ends with its longest tracks. (2nd album)

It's as if I'm listening to their debut filtered through a medieval filter. The instrumentals are all over the place, with everyone doing their own thing, but eventually coming together in time. It's clear that all songs from the first side either borrow ideas from their previous endeavors, or have moments that will be marvelously played out and fleshed on later albums.

Haskell's vocals generally work here. His deeper voice gives this ominous Mad Hatter feeling behind these songs. The only problem behind that is that he doesn't lean fully into the role, but leaves the listener waiting for something grandiose in that department (this entire paragrpah is obvious once you know that Haskell was an aspiring soul and Motown singer, and wasn't really comfortable with Fripp's ideas throughout the recording).

Now, it's clear from the get go that Fripp put his house on side B's self-titled, 20 minute epic. In goes Ian bloody Anderson, and just from that part of this sentence, you know it's going to get serious. And they deliver. It starts off slowly, slowly picking up pace in the most King Crimson way possible, melting into this experimental jazz portion with epic proportions, and ending with a meticulous guitar solo.

Overall, I can understand the appeal of this album, but for me, it almost feels unfinished in the first half. The songs are like a collage of ideas put out for the sake of putting something out, and not fully finished, aside from Lizard, which almost feels as if it came out of a movie.

King Crimson doing post-rock before post-rock was even a thing. And doing it way better than most musicians ever dream of doing it.

If there's any theme going around here, it's the beautiful isolation. It's in the cover, and it's in the title. Islands is full of theatrical compositions that are well paced between showing off and hiding underneath the cowl of silence. One of the best examples is The Letters with its slower sections cut with crescendo moments of fervor. The moments where Boz Burrell sings in a hushed tone are beautiful, and bring another side to the album.

My favorite song is the self titled Islands, which stands as one of my favorite King Crimson songs ever. It's a slow, sentimental track that lulls you with its sparse arrangement and intimate atmosphere.

Here we have King Crimson's most controversial album. After the musical breakthrough of their debut, there was a period of turmoil among the band members. Fripp wanted to explore darker and more intense musical areas, while McDonald and Giles wanted to go in a mellower way. The result was McDonald and Giles leaving the band, making King Crimson Fripp's brainchild.

But Giles and McDonald returned, and they did make a more mellow "In The Court of The Crimson King". The name of the mellower debut is "In The Wake of Poseidon".

To call this album bad would be a bad take. Technically, it's good. Other than The Devils Triangle, everything else is listenable and has that King Crimson vibe in it. The thing that drags it down this album has nothing to do with the album itself, but with the debut, as this album is almost an identical copy of it, just weaker and has "The Devil's Triangle" in it. Even the ordering is the same. "Pictures of A City" is "Schizoid Man", "Cadence and Cascade" is "I Talk To The Wind" and the s/t is "Epitaph"

If the debut suddenly disappeared off the face of the Earth, this album would be a sufficient replacement. Not good, mind you, but sufficient.

I think that "Cat Food" is beautiful tho, and is the only original thing that I like in here.

OK, you know the deal. One of the head honchos of the prog sphere right here, for a host of very good reasons. The instrumentation are clean and well thought of, song structures and songwriting are poignant, inspiring with just the right amount of complex to not make a fool of itself.

What I love most about this album is how captivating it is. Almost every time I listen to it, I leave what I'm doing and just stand there life a 50yo dad with my hands on my hips and think, "Damn." And that's honestly amazing, because I've never had that kind of experience with any album I've listened to.

Not going to go into each song, but I will highlight the band member's contributions. Lake's vocals perfectly fit the medieval aesthetic, the sound of the drums are crisp and sharp, and the whole thing is gelled up by Fripp's "chess game" guitar work. Can't praise it enough. Interesting and captivating all throughout

One of the ways you can determine the worth of an album is by how well it has stood since its release, and even though the tides of the musical world have vastly changed since its inception in 1969, In The Court of the Crimson King has always been well above the water. That alone should put it above half of the albums ever created.

Now that I read this, these paragraphs have no sense and connection to each other, but fuck it, I'm too drunk to do a revision. It's a good album, check it out.

I've never quite understood Red, their previous album. It all sounded a bit too forced, and other than Starless, there isn't much that I can return to.

Discipline is cut from a similar cloth, but taken in a different direction. It's a very ambitious and intense album, much like Red, mostly due to the savant, energetic performance by Bill Bruford. But instead of that energy being channeled through prog rock, which, to my ears, sounded more wank than enjoyable, here we get a sound that pushes pop rock and new wave to new limits.

Belew's vocals breathe in a new youthfulness to the songs (Elephant Talk, Matte Kudusai, Thela Hun Ginjeet), and Levin's bass playing is what fractals would sound like if they could talk (Frame by Frame). Also, the addition of the Chapman Stick gives it this recognizable tone. Robert Fripp keeps the thing intact, and Bruford's contributions have already been noted, but the words don't do justice to how complex some of the stuff he plays is.

Anyway, the first five tracks are amazing, but those last two kinda slow things down. I like The Sheltering Sky and its ambiance, and the closing Discipline doesn't really do anything new and exciting, but it's a precisely done track. One could say, very disciplined.

KC waited seven years to create this album, and it does feel like all that creativity slowly fermenting and bursting out of the gates, and never stopping until the album ends. I can see this becoming one of my favorites in due time.

Very good electric blues album with some funk/soul elements here and there. Though nothing really groundbreaking, the guitar playing on here is beautiful. It boasts some covers, but Freddie plays them in a way that makes them authentic and not feel like covers. Recommend the whole album with "Going Down" being the tune you should really check out.

This album was my life from 2015 until COVID changed the way we percept our entire world in early 2020. I actually have no idea how I found this album. Was it an internet article? Youtube recommendations? A friend recommended it to me? Okay, the last one I know is not it, because my generation knows jack shit about art and anything remotely associated with art. Al' jebiga, kakva država, takav narod. All I know is that this album was on my phone, downloaded from some shoddy website onto my Huawei phone sometime early in my high school days. From that point on, every morning, walking to school along a river that flows next to my school listening to this album, from „Kiss Another Day Goodbye” to “Angel of Mercy”, and then returning home and listening “Life and Times on the Beach” to “Midnight Willie” and finishing the album whilst my mother cooked dinner for the family. Almost every day, the same routine, with a few variations in my musical queue, that this album was responsible for. This album was partially responsible for me finding The Sound, listening to Iggy Pop and the Stooges, discovering Jeff Buckley and his father, and liking Kafka’s and Camus’ books (which was sacrilege to say among your peers, I would later come to find out), enjoying the art of Basquiat and Picasso (which was ALSO sacrilege) so on and so forth. That led me to be the good ole high school outcast and a closeted sociopath, by peanut brain high schooler standards. You know the one: actually taking a liking to what the teacher tells us about different writing styles, motives, et cetera, hating modern kitsch that dominated the airwaves, forming a duo with a friend a la Simon and Garfunkel but with Garfunkel (me) playing some shitty ass drums which all in all didn’t last long, but was fun. I didn’t go to prom, instead, I was finishing the book I was writing for a while now, influenced somewhat by Joy Division, The Sound, and Kauffman and Caboor. So those were my high school days, a loser by modern societal standards, but I didn’t feel like a loser. I had Kauffman and Caboor, what else would I need!

Then came college. I was bumping Metallica, Megadeth, Neil Young, Mravi, Darkwood Dub, Coltrane, Davis, and yours truly, Kauffman and Caboor. I found a niche group of like-minded people and we all exchanged albums, talked about art and music, visited local venues, having adolescent fun.

Then COVID hit, and everyone drifted away. Some people changed their orientation, some showed how much of an ass they actually were, new faces shuffled through my circle, none staying that much but most devastating, Kaufmann and Caboor had left my rotation, for some reason. Since COVID hit, I felt anxious, ill, and devastated. My hair started to fall off, and I became depressed and moody and shut myself out. An extremely shitty period. Until tonight, when I was rummaging through RYM and found my Kaufmann and Caboor and all the memories came back flooding whilst I'm sitting alone in my rented apartment, listening to this god awful, gut turning, tear-jerking masterpiece of an album. The walks, the book writing, the Simon and Garfunkel foolery, so on and so forth, all came returning to me this faithful night.

I felt whole again, for the first time in a while.

Thank you Mr. Caboor and Mr. Kauffman, for lighting up this depressing weekend.

While lacking the poetic edge he will be known for later, but also the song structure, this is a very good, not only debut album, but also a new wave album from former Yugoslavia. A lot of vertical lines can be drawn that run through Milan's previous band, Šarlo Akrobata, such as certain elements in the instrumentals and the vocal performance, which add that tense, anxious energy as for example in the songs "Platforme" (Platforms), "Vrt" (Garden) and "Ja Znam" (I Know), but we can also hear some moments that allude to the sound that will be present in future albums such as on the songs "Geto" (Ghetto) and "Jesen" (Autumn).

Of course, the album is not without flaws. The general presence of synthesizers on this album is put too much in front, then the song "Treba Da Se Čisti" (Needs to be Cleaned) is, in my opinion, mostly unnecessary (the title of the song masterfully describes it), and "Kad Krenem Ka" (When I Go To) is a good idea, but poorly executed.

A wonderful space rock album that shows the maturity of this group. Deveti Zivot is deeply rooted in alternative rock, but the individual instruments give a dose of variation on all fronts: listening to the drums, you can feel the influence of jazz, with quite intricate rhythms and with an approach that is quite foreign to this area, while the guitar on songs such as Odlazak they play noise rock, and in Godine Cutanja, the moments when they stretch out the riffs give the impression of drone music.

Conditional minuses of the album are Oli's androgynous vocals, which on the one hand can boast a very wide vocal range, and on the other hand, this can be a double-edged sword that causes discomfort and irritation at the same time, and slightly too long jam sections that suit the live atmosphere, but on the album, seem very weak.

But all in all, it's a good album anyway. Probably their most commercial and well-known, Deveti Zivot elevated KKN to the level of regional stars.

Obviously I can't talk about how this stacks up to the rest of their catalog, even though I have 6 of their albums on vinyl, but it's a great album and the best from them I've heard so far.

It's full of innovation, as far as I'm familiar. Rob Halford has an unmatched screech akin to a petrified woman, which works perfectly on The Ripper, and it even sounds good on the slower ballads on which he, more often than not, lowers his pitch and controls his voice well. The double guitar is also a decision that made their sound much richer, and put the whole "interplay between two guitars" on the map.

The whole album is very dramatic, heavy and made with a lot of passion. Usually we say Black Sabbath is the originator of heavy metal, which is true, but I'd say Judas Priest, and by extension Sad Wings of Destiny, is the origin point of mainstream metal. The leather, screeching, kind.

The only gripe I have has nothing to do against the music, but against the yahoo who decided to put the prelude on the end of side A, and Tyrant on the beginning of side B on my vinyl copy. Thankfully a friend had a spare copy without a cover that fixes that!