TIGROVA MAST

Madly creative in the Mr. Bungle and Estradasphere fashion, writing short and packed energetic short tracks that intermingle and flow almost uninterrupted, this album is a fantastic avant-rock pill filled with electronic effects and experimentations that add to the enjoyment I make out of listening to it. This Croatian Trio mingles styles and sounds from (avant-)rock, to electronic to punk, to eastern/Arabic music and other sorts of folk and even all of them together; they do this with only a handful of tools, yet the resulting sound is very effective and convincing. Being a trio, makes all instruments "visible" to the ear and indeed each musician here performs very well; the bass stands out in particular. The tracks being mostly short, I don't even feel most of the time when they switch or move on as it almost all of the time flows naturally from one to the next. The band members refer to themselves as Gut (bass), Heart (drums) and Brain (keyboards). Indeed the bass playing is raw, aggressive and in-your-face sort of way. The drums seem to be all over the place, filled with passion yet under control. The microkorg is precise and punctual, almost pre-meditated and is a good contrast to the sound of the other two instruments.

What I love about this album is its intensity, the wise use of the instruments as well as the well crafted melodies; they manage to develop both the technical aspect as well as the composition side. The end result is very compelling to my ears. The sound of the keyboards is great; it is very distinct and is used wisely for the different purposes and adjusts itself to each track's style.

Again, the RAIG label manages to release another fascinating experimental/avant-rock album by a group that deserves the attention. To think this is the first album makes me look forward eagerly to their next album.

To sum this up, what a ride! Frenzy would be a good description. Recommended to fans of everything avant-rock, Ruins, Estradasphere, Mr. Bugnle, experimental rock with electronics and all that is innovative and creative.