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SAIKO

Quidam

Neo-Prog


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Quidam Saiko album cover
2.75 | 61 ratings | 2 reviews | 13% 5 stars

Good, but non-essential

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Studio Album, released in 2012

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Haluświaty (Halluworlds) (5:22)
2. ... lato (... summer) (2:41)
3. Obok mam (I Don't Give A Damn) (4:42)
4. Walec (Roller) (4:41)
5. sPotykanie (sTrip) (5:08)
6. Dodekafonix (Dodecaphonics) (4:32)
7. ... jesień (... autumn) (3:13)
8. Ostatecznie (Ultimately) (3:57)
9. ... zima (... winter) (5:02)
10. Saiko (3:03)
11. ... przedwiośnie (... early spring) (5:35)
12. Wiosna (Spring) (5:45)

Total time 53:41

Line-up / Musicians

- Bartek Kossowicz / lead & backing vocals
- Maciek Meller / guitars, mandolin, dobro
- Zbyszek Florek / keyboards
- Jacek Zasada / flute, sax
- Mariusz Ziółkowski / bass
- Maciek Wróblewski / drums, percussion

With:
- Natalia Grosiak / vocals (4)
- Robert Szydło / acoustic bass (3)
- Witek Dobaczewski / lo-fi harmonica (10)

Releases information

Artwork: Michal Florczak

CD Rock-Serwis ‎- RSCD 070 (2012, Poland)

Thanks to notaproghead for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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QUIDAM Saiko ratings distribution


2.75
(61 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(13%)
13%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(27%)
27%
Good, but non-essential (37%)
37%
Collectors/fans only (15%)
15%
Poor. Only for completionists (8%)
8%

QUIDAM Saiko reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by ProgShine
COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
2 stars QUIDAM, polish band that was first influenced by Neo Prog but during the course of their career changed album by album.

Saiko (2012) is their most recent work, released in April. Here they're back to the polish lyrics, a charm, I must say, I like bands that sing in their own languages, not only english.

According to the band they used on their 6th studio album the concept 'less is more'. Saying that you can easily note that they're not using any intrincated or complicated passage. They say that you need to listen the album several times before get the soft details in it.

Well, I tried very hard, 4 full listens before even try to write and a fifth while I'm writing. I just can't agree with the band. I can't see an album that shows more and more details as we listen it, we have an album that has not so many things to show, in fact, we have details here and there, but they're not enough to make you pay full attention on it.

Normally a different language may scare you, this is not the thing that bothers, Bartek Kossowicz is a great singer and he giver life to the polish lyrics. 'Haluświaty' starts the album and in a good way and it's true that the song has many small details (thanks to Jacek Zasada flutes), but in general, just a pop song, And the extra low bass tone from Mariusz Ziółkowski doesn't help much. '? lato' comes in the sequence and I start to think that the new producer Robert Szydło, is the responsible for the pop sound I'm listening, he's the producer of many polish pop bands.

The flutes in 'Obok Mam' tell us that something goo is about to begin, but in the end... we something that didn't work, a folk mixed with pop. 'Walec' the one in english is the best track so far. Heavy start, bit different and the Natalia Grosiak vocals makes this a nice track. If you'll do pop do it like on this song!

'sPotykanie' is like COLDPLAY and only now I realise that this isn't a Prog Rock album. When 'Wiosna' ends and so the album I asked myself what the band is really trying to do.

They don't know if they go towards pop or if they stay with their Prog heritage. All I know is that on Saiko (2012) QUIDAM didn't get any of them. We have some beauty moments here and there and if you don't mind listen a pop album (and you shouldn't anyway) it's ok. Now, if you're looking for some Prog Rock, go elsewhere, you'll not find it here.

Review by Tarcisio Moura
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars 2.5 stars, really. It was quite a depressing experience listening to this album. That´s because I could not hear Saiko without recalling all the time how good a prog band they once were. A friend borrow me this CD and I decided to give it a shot. I heard it several times over the last few weeks and still it didn´t move me. Not that it is bad per se: in fact, if you like the alternative/pop style chances are you´ll probably enjoy Saiko very much (if you don´t mind the fact that most of the material is sung in polish. Only the ballad Walec is in english, despite its title). It´s all very nice and well performed and produced. And certainly they reversion to polish lyrics is a plus. And still it´s also miles away from what they could do when Emila Derkowska fronted the band. The prog elements are all gone, except for the flute interventions and bits and a few nice guitar parts, plus some fusion. It´s hard to figure out what they´re aiming at: The music here is a bit too complex and jazzy to the alternative/pop audience and the polish lyrics will not endear them to the american market.

All in all, a good alternative album, with no bad tunes to be found anywhere However, due to their glorious past, I found it hard not to be sorry for the great loss that was when they gave away their symphonic/folk prog sound. For a band that gave us such wonderful albums as Quidam and The Time Beneath The Sky, Saiko is really a let down. They should have changed their name along with the style and the line up.

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