SECANJA

Dag's lone studio release has received high praise from many progressive folk fans over the years, but in some respects I think this is not quite as deserved as some would believe. This is an album that is quite a bit different than their more well-known contemporaries S Vremena na Vreme, who were less laconic and who also managed to infuse a bit more of their local culture into their music than Dag do. Both bands show notable influences from American folk and mellow rock music, but with Dag that seems to be pervasive while with S Vremena na Vreme the outside influences are more like just one of many styles that impacted their sound.

Most of the tracks on this album are very, very mellow with soft male tenor vocals, strumming guitar and relatively little percussion. The sparseness of the music gives it some charm, but also causes the first several tracks to sound quite similar and therefore the listener can be lulled into something resembling apathy toward the music after several minutes. This is good background music, but not something you're likely to listen to with rapt attention.

The sparing use of a sitar and several ethnic drums give the music a world feel at times, but the persistence of the balladeering vocalist keeps these tracks from rising above mediocrity for the most part. In fact, the first five songs are all two-to-three minute affairs with little development and no complex or adventurous arrangements at all. It isn't until "I Kad" that the guitarists branch out a bit with a noticeable lead/rhythm combination that could be compared to the likes of Crosby, Stills & Nash or Neil Young-like guitar riffs. Still, even here the vocals are too restrained to really capture one's imagination.

"Na Drini cuprija" is the most lengthy track on the album, and also the one that most prominently features the sitar, although mostly just in the first few opening bars. The electric guitar again sounds like a CSNY arrangement, while the soft vocals tend to take the edge off the song and render it into another thing that sounds more like a ballad than a progressive work.

The band does manage to finally put together something more adventurous on the album, but not until the final track "I na Kraju Zvuk", and here the tune is more of a fusion meander than a folk or ethnic. Great guitar again, but the drums are uninspired and in any case it is not enough to save the whole album.

I've listened to this album enough times to believe it isn't ever going to grab me as something memorable. A decent effort to be sure, but not essential by any means, except possibly for fans of music from the former Yugoslavia. Possibly four stars for any of those people, but three for the rest of us. Only mildly recommended but don't expect to be inspired or blown away.

peace