Brlog Rec.
Prkos Drumski : Vreme Ispred Nas (SB,2009)***°
Having noticed how the Croatian hand made label Brlog records were locally also distributing Jahrtal’s latest release, from then I came to the original Serbian acoustic band Prkos Drumski. Their release contains nine songs accompanied by acoustic guitar arrangements, sparse keyboard textures here and there, but mostly a little bit of additional piano, and some flute improvisations, mostly sung by a delicate, gentle and beautiful female vocalist or a few times an equally gentle male vocalist. A few tracks have additional cello touches. On the 5th track, the only track with additional conga percussion, the instrumental improvisations are a bit stretched, lasting longer. A very enjoyable release but I still hope they will add more improvisational time to the arrangements in future so that they can reach Sedmina’s areas better so that each foreign listener will find full a range of enjoyment. The necessary elements to direct the music that way are already here. Very nice !
This was their second album.
The name of the band "Prkos Drumski” can roughly be translated to "Purslane Road". It is a peculiar flower on the road. The band more is a fellowship of friends more than an average band, where love, understanding and pure friendship is the core of their art, something which is reflected in the warmth and gentleness of the songs. Milos Zubac : "The songs have the colors of our dreams and hopes, more than fears and anxiety, I suppose. We have three songwriters in our crew - Sonja (aka Mala Fea), Isidora and me. We also share vocal parts in songs. Sometimes, not very often, we use lyrics from great poets...Nikita Stanesku was immense Romanian poet for example...and I composed and sang one of his songs. We love to join poetry with music."
Individual CD titles : 1. Godine neke daleke - "Distant Years" (written by the father of Milos Zubac, devoted to a little girl, a daughter perhaps, who he held warmly in his thoughts as a sailor...) ; 2. Majski cvet - "Mayflower" (Isidora's cute parable of a flower-a soul who rise to give it's holiness and brightness to the world) ; 3. Blagoslov - "Blessing" (Sonja's prayer for two lovers beneath the "old God") ; 4. Glas - "The Voice" (Isidora's quite typical love song) ; 5. Tuvna ljubavna pesma - "Sad Love Song" (a poem by Stanesku, called “a sad love song”, but about death and life reappearing in its elements really) ; 6. Bretonov san - "The Dream of Andre Breton (Isidora's song on great surrealist Breton and his haunted dream - a girl called Nadja) ; 7. More - "The Sea" (impressions of the mystical sea) ; 8. Vreme ispred nas - "The Time Ahead of Us" (Sonja's mantra of the future...when everything disappears) ; 9. Fallin' Free - (Sonja's love theme, partly in English).
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PS. The last compilation from the label features new Serbian and Croatian songwriting efforts. The quality of sound is variable, some takes are demos, some are live and some are studio recordings. It should work as a statement of a whole new scene growing and flourishing between Serbia and Croatia. Musically there are little elements that are worked out enough to become of an international or pure musical importance, but the over 11 minute improvisation, even not ground breaking is still worth hearing. Apparently this most outstanding track also seemed to by the same band, Prkos Drumski. The title is "Vilindar". It means "a gift from fairies"...which also seems to be the title of Milos Zubac's first book of poetry.
