Reviews by deksametazon

From this album onwards there is an apparent fall in quality. But, even with that in mind, this album has the last essential Azra song in "Flash" (Accompanied by the beautiful instrumental track "Nešto Između" beforehand). "3N" is also a really good ska-ish new wave song. Not much I can recommend other than those two tracks though

The forgotten fourth brother of Azra's great run of albums. I particularly love this album because it showed how much of a genius Brane was. Both his drummer and bassist went on a mandatory military leave, which left him all alone. Instead of going on a hiatus and waiting for them to come back, he took the role of vocalist, bassist, guitarist, AND producer of this album. Only the drumming was done by Srećko Antonioli, of Parni Valjak fame.

Sharp-edged riffs, bass lines, stellar drumming, and beautiful solos adorn this album. This one boasts heavy hitters of the Azra catalog such as Anđeli, Kao i Jučer, Kad Fazani Lete, and Nemir i Strast. Plavi Golub is also a beautiful ballad.

Though not as potent as their first three albums, Kad Fazani Lete proves that Azra, or better yet Štulić still had what it took to make a banger. Recommended album.

Turns out when you do the same shit over and over, it gets stale over time. Who would've thought. Branimir certainly didn't when he made this. The only stuff I can suggest you listen to from this is A1, A2, and A7. The rest is bland and already sung and played.

Take everything good about Azra and make it shit. You may argue that this is a good starting point for someone who doesn't speak Croatian, and I'd argue you're a coprophiliac, because you apparently like shit. It's a double album full of English renditions of Azra songs, meaning it's not a quick ending, but a long torture session. Mišo Hrnjak is long gone, Johnny has gone off the rails and Boris is only here for the money.

It Ain't Like in the Movies at All? Indeed it is not. At least movies are somewhat produced, unlike this.

"Filigranski Pločnici" is considered by some as Azra's best album, including by me. It's similar to their previous album, as this was also a double album, but it's different from "Sunčana Strana Ulice" in terms of song structure, where Sunčana leaned more on punk, this album lays more on the experimental new-wave-dubby-reggae-ska-punk side of things. It's an amazing album, and even though I would say that this album is "more serious" than Sunčana Strana, you still have songs that take the edge off. The sax on this album is immaculate, especially on "Ako Znaš Bilo Što" and "Hladan Kao Led" and the lyrics are top-notch as you would expect from someone like Brane.

Big recommendations!

For some odd reason, the simplest, shortest album of the canonical Azra opus is also the most underrepresent in my listening habits.

The first thing that pops up when listening to this magnificent album is the cheap sounding production style that's as shallow as the puddle on the road after rain, but honestly, it works. It didn't work the first time I listened to it, but now it has a unique charm to it that's hard to reproduce.

The general sound of the band is as unique as it gets. Nobody came close on the scene to achieve this blend of fun, memorable and lovable lyrics with a tight, melodic rhythm section that can produce a beat of any kind to accompany them. And I know I say that about every album of theirs, but that's just the way it is. Listen to it, and you'll hear for yourself.

It's a generational album, really, and an anomaly for sure. Johnny would never sound as straightforward as he does here, which is to be expected since he's playing by the house rules, and the simple punky energy would be replaced by an opened Pandora's box of influences from pop, folk, reggae and such.

To me, it sounds like a free trial Spanish BCNR. It's probably great for the Spanish-speaking part of the world, but to an average guy? Shrug-city. Unimaginative guitar playing that's been done before, and whispery poetry. Nothing new, nor good.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2024: #31 A country album from the 1940s (9th album)

I can taste the dust coming out of my speakers.

Playing With a Different Sex is a post-punk album that clearly takes inspiration from bands like Talking Heads, Gang of Four, and The Pop Group by mixing danceable rhythms and catchy guitar melodies but with female vocals that remind me highly of the late Lizzy Descloux. It's not by any means revolutionary, but it's good for what it is, with its conscious and repetitive and arty lyrics and sometimes anxious and sometimes happy-go-lucky melodies. You definitely won't find it bad, and if you like the arty brand of post-punk you'll definitely like this one, especially if you're looking for post-punk with female vocals. Recommended listening.

The last studio album of "The Trilogy" (don't point the finger at me, I wasn't the one having a spurt of creativity naming it) still hits hard and gives us yet good collection of songs that continues in the same vain as its predecessors.

It's the weakest out of the three, though. It lacks the melodic approach they had in the previous two albums, but the poetic edge of Bosko Obradovic is still here, which is a driving force alongside Dragan Guzvan's solid guitar work which at moments replaces Bilandzic's keyboard work from the previous albums.

Maybe it would've been better if the band hadn't approached the concept of making this album as a contractual obligation, but as a way to put out a message, but I guess that well had dried up, which would be apparent in their next chapter of their career.

Ne Cvikaj Generacijo is a good hard rock album. A bit late to the party, mostly because of Boško Obradović, the lead songwriter for the band, not jumping on the musical train earlier. I almost never take the date of release of an album as a damaging factor to the quality, and I won't do it here.

What we have on this album is a good display of musicianship in the same vain as and, but with a lot of emphasis on protest, and anti-war lyrics. Compared to other albums in the shelves at the time, it was a unique foray, as no other band delved into that thematic at the time. The production is good, and the infectiousness of the Hammond driven sound is unlike any around. Worth mentioning, the heavy bass sound is reminiscent of a previous jazz-rock outfit some members were a part of,, a band also worth checking out.

After the commercial letdown with Extrauterina, Atomsko Skloniste returns on the paved road with their latest album, Mentalna Higijena (Mental Hygene).

To use a phrase from the lexicon of our western neighbours: a sellout album, through and through. The song Treba Imati Dusu gave the band a much-needed wind in the back, but the rest of the album is not half bad. There isn't much of a new sound present, classic commercial hard rock with some pop rock sprinkled in, but with the authentic style of Atomsko Skloniste

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Nakon komercijalnog kiksa sa Ekstrauterinom, Atomsko Skloniste se vraca na utabanu stazu i izbacuje Mentalnu Higijenu.

Da se iskoristim leksikonom zapadnih komsija, Mentalna Higijena je sellout album, jedan kroz jedan. Pjesma Treba Imat Dusu je bendu dala novo ruho i vjetar u ledja, ali ni ostatak albuma nije za bacit. Nema tu nekog novog zvuka, klasicni komercijalni hard rok zvuk osamedestih sa slagom od pop roka, ali izveden na autenticni nacin Atomskog Sklonista.

Their second album is mroe commercially oriented, with more energy and fewer lyrics about war, apocalypse and the impending doom shindig. A shade less memorable, but still has heavy hitters, like Bez Kaputa, Pakleni Vozaci and the closer Oni Sto Dolaze Za Nama.

Dragan Guzvan is a maestro on the geetar, and I've always loved the flavorful addition of the keys by Paul Bilandzic, which are more prominent here, though I wish we heard at least one key solo, but oh well.. Not as pure as their debut, but it's a really good continuation of the sound established on their debut.

The packaging is the most unique thing about it. It came in a cardboard box with a lyric sheet and a booklet. It's probably the reason it fetches 50+ bucks on the market.

I'm always on the hunt for beautiful, and soothing, music, and this is right up my alley. It's much more conceptually sound than the "classical music to sleep/eat/drink/wank/study to (4h version)" crap we're peddled on YouTube, with a vague concept of time passing during the day that connects all the songs.

And like an average day in the sun with nothing much to do, the songs on this album flow seamlessly throughout. I'd even say this album gets most of its charm by being background noise than by actively listening.

Again, as I've said, most of the album is a serene masterpiece, but "When the Fields Were on Fire" surprises me on every listen, especially on the first, with how eerie and out of place it sounds. Like straight out of a horror movie.

Overall, a good album. Plus, you can scrobble it, so all you scrobble-nerds will have something to boost your numebrs with.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2026: #22. An album from The Wire's "100 (+30) Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening)". (1st Album)

From the opening of Illistrum, when Jarman goes "Ill... Listrum!" I was blown away. Fanfare for the Warriors is a racket of a sound, mixing jazz, blues and the avant-garde, while keeping it coherent enough to create a fresh sound that I'm diving into in 2026.

It's obviously a hard listen, and I think that's why I'm not that fond of it at the moment. It's good, and it has its moments, but more often than not, I'm left feeling a bit bored with it all. Furthermore, it's also everywhere at once: at one moment it's a full-blown cacophony, while at the other it sounds more atmospheric. The spoken word / vocal moments are cool. I'm not opposed to checking them out more, because they have potential, but this release is not it.

Beside a few bars here and there, and the beats being a good mixture of murky, mechanical, boastful and cold, this album is nothing special. Reading the vague lyrics with only a semblance of rhyme and reason should not be considered good, but itiswhatitis.

Jos jedan skriveni dragulj jugoslovenskog novog vala, koji nije novi val, ali vuce dosta insprijacija kako od novog vala, tako i od funka, diska, a ponegdje i bluza i kantrija.

Bracni par Blaskovic ovdje ima najvecu zaslugu. Arinkini vokali kotiraju izmedju nekog klasicnog pop zvuka i blagog bluz režanja, dok Franci nosi artisticko breme. Ostatak benda je tu i tamo u smjesi, dodavajuci svoj ekspertiz, ali Franci je tu najvise sa svojim blagim eksperimentalizmom koji ce biti nadogradjivan na narednom njegovom bendu, Gori Ussi Winnetou.

Upravo zbog tog blago druagacijeg pristupa formuli preporucujem ovaj album. Nije sofisticiran, daleko od toga. Ima dosta onako seljacku energiju i momente kad je "na ho-ruk", ali upravo zbog toga moje krkansko srce ga voli.
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Another hidden gem of the Yugoslav new wave, which is not new wave, but draws a lot of inspiration from the new wave, as well as from funk, disco, and sometimes even blues and country.

The married couple Blaskovic, has the greatest merit here. Arinka's vocals are somewhere between a classic pop sound and a mild blues growl, while Franci carries the artistic burden. The rest of the band is here and there in the mix, adding their expertise, but Franci is there the most with his mild experimentalism, which will be added upon in his next band, Gori Ussi Winnetou.

It is precisely because of this slightly different approach to the formula that I recommend this album. It's not sophisticated, far from it. It has a lot of hillbilly energy and moments when it's "na ho-ruk" for a lack of better term, but that's exactly why my meathead heart loves it.

I listened to this one when it first released. I didn't quite like it. Five years later, nn a relisten, I respect it a bit more.

Still not a huge fan, however. The idea is there, but in execution, it lacks. Maybe it's the overall raw production that hinders it for me.

I don't usually buy records on a whim, but this one I had to. The story behind it, the exoticism of a bunch of Greeks making an album that was to rival Americans, Englishmen and Germans all enticed me. So listening to this album on my record player, reading the lyrics on the back, and looking at the artwork is a real experience.

Oh, the album is great. They really nailed the confused feeling of the apocalypse: It's everywhere, but firmly at one place, paradoxically. The spoken words feel like a false messiah walking us through the whole ordeal, and the musicianship of it is surprisingly coherent and well put through, an achievement for such a heavy, sprawling double album.

All The Seats Were Occupied is the precursor to all the electronic albums Vangelis would do later with immaculate synth wanking and Greek folk, and songs like Hic et Nunc, The Four Horsemen and Aegian Sea combine the progressive and the accessible, creating tunes that can stand on their own. The rest is a perfectly intertwined mess of songs that take religion, mythology, and folklore, amps it up, and delivers.

Worth mentioning is the existence of the Greek mix, which adds 5 more minutes dispersed across a few songs, most notably The Battle of the Locusts, which gets another minute of guitar shredding. Check it if you can.

First of all, No ritmo da Terra is cool. A very nice and precise combination of experimental rock, metal and indigenous Brazilian music to create something new and worthwhile under the sun.

The noisiness of it all reminds me of some kind of variation on what Fishmans did in their career, i.e an atmospheric backbone with some dreamy vocals. Except the dreaminess here is on the harsher side, but it's well executed to create a surrealistic atmosphere of a Brazilian jungle in which you know mystery is hiding, yet you can't quite pinpoint what exactly.

Personally, the final three songs are my favorite. Futuro Ancestral has a great ribal groove that segways into Xe Anama that hits like a truck midway through, which in turns segways well into the closer.