SBB [AKA: WOłANIE O BRZęK SZKłA AND SLOVENIAN GIRLS]

SBB pulled of the remarkably difficult trick of creating wonderfully original and progressive music in an age when such things could more than likely get you either killed, locked up or black-listed. A Polish trio active from the late-sixties onward, they have enjoyed a prolific career in their native homeland, whilst also generating loyal followings throughout central Europe and even in the USA. A superb semi-instrumental offering, this 1978 release espouses all that it so impressive about SBB, with two long, meandering, jazzy compositions embellished with a host of differing styles and sounds, all the while underpinned by rocksteady drumming, snazzy synths, complex keyboard melodies and some scintillating guitar patterns that sound like they've been fed through Optimus Prime's voice-box. To fully describe this album would be a bit like building a house of cards; tricky, time-consuming and ultimately, rather pointless. Instead, just go out and get the damn thing and experience one of progressive rock's most underrated and important outfits. In a word: superb.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012