II - DEJANJE

This group along with some Vlatko Stefanovski's records are my first introduction to the music coming from the area of former state of Yugoslavia. I must admit that my first impressions are quite positive. I feel open to artistic, moody and serious music, and these qualities appear quite strongly on this album. There are some uplifting and positive tunes here like euphoric opener "Gledalis", and "Ciganka" which has the spontaneous feelings of the constant travelers' lifestyle shining from it. Then here are also some more oppressing and dark songs like "V Polju Gre Psenica V Klas" which sounds like witchcraft enchantment to my ears, being my favorite tune on this record along with the song "Fotograf", which is really tender melodic number for the guitar and passionate female voice. "Circus" is also quite fragile tonal poem, containing some surrealistic psychedelic scenes in its end. Along with this song there is another nearly ten minutes long track here called "Kolo (Za Dusko)", which melts disturbing and beautiful harmonics creating a intoxicating nightmarish feeling, before turning into more delightful straits. Some violin and clarinet melodies here resemble scales which I have heard in Gypsy music and Jewish Klezmer music. The lyrics are incomprehensible to me, but the voices paint long melodic passages working perfectly as just melodic instruments, so this doesn't manage to ruin the experience, though it of course leaves one element not understood. These characteristics melt with classical European acoustic guitar playing creating textures which are quite new and exotic to me. Also the presence of male and female vocals creates an interesting erotic tension to this music. I would recommend this album and the band for anybody interested in artistic and moody psych oriented folk music. Thank you Seyo for introducing this band to me.