SAIKO

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.