TAMNA VODA

"Tamna Voda", the second album by Dark, is not as dark as "Dark", but is still dark enough to be called "Dark". Mark Nauseef and Leonice Shinneman are still there on percussion, but this time they have Mark London Sims on bass and Miroslav Tadic on guitars. Also along for the ride are guest artists L. Shankar and David Torn. Together they made what I believe is one of the finest fusion albums of the 1980s.

Like the first album, there is a Mahavishnu Orchestra sound, as well as some Univers Zero. The tuned percussion of Shinnemann, and the additional focus on odd rhythms in the melodies also give the album a bit of a Zappa flavor as well. You can even throw in some Henry Cow if you like. In fact, this album would fit in just as easily as RIO as jazz fusion.

Simply put, this is one of my all time favorite albums. It's just too bad that it was released during a decade that real creativity was pretty much ignored, and this band didn't get the attention it deserved.

Listen to it. I dare you.