Yugoslavian/East European progressive

Siddharta is indeed one of the most succesful bands in Slovenia (more succesful being only Terrafolk (prog folk band that won BBC award for live performance) and Laibach (industrial metal band)). They are quite commercially oriented (they are the first Slovenian band that was on the MTV and they were on top of week's charts or smth), but they still have some good music to offer. Their bass player, Jani Hace, is considered as the best Slovenian bass player, and plays in other bands as well (Elevators and Dedu za petami, both jazz fusion bands). Their music isn't really pop-rock in my opinion, more rock, hard rock. They have some prog elements (jazzy sax, they played with Big band RTV Slovenia, so the music was quite colorful, eclectic; some symphonic ones as well), but not much, maybe they would be, I don't know, prog related or smth, if they would be listed on PA.
Here are some of their best songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjeIj87OGIE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImLMN-dLH_M (from the newest album, Saga, that was produced by Ross Robinson (Korn...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzxCOos9ELQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZqbM9RyEV4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDifJ-8Epkg
They are quite good in my opinion, but there are many much better bands on the (underground) scene right now - two of my favourites are Moonlight Sky (prog rock - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq8_c5nMlGQ) and Feedback (jazz-rock - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmUQi60drmI). Also, there is much better music from ex-yu, for example, from Slovenia, Predmestje, September, Izvir, Buldožer (that still exists) etc.


Edited by kole - January 07 2010 at 13:52

Thanks for the links provided. 

Never heard of them. From which period do they belong? Are they from exYU or what?

Please read my review of PORODICNA MANUFAKTURA album "Stvaranje":

I added several album reviews of Josipa Lisac recently...

I added solo albums of Davorin Popovic here:
http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4694

Since most of them featured one or another version of Indexi as backing band, I felt this is justified to have complete disography of albums where key Indexi members (Kovacevic, Redzic, Popovic) participated.

And also his debut LP is technically an INDEXI album, containing several excellent borderline prog songs.

Cool, I'll try to gather some material in the meantime!

Dobro jutro!

You're reading my mind. I was thinking about Let 3 too...and here's my opinion.

Of course, they started as a punk outpit (but  with strong art attitude in "Strukturne Ptice" project - hence the name) and evolved into something much more sophisticated.

By the mid-90's period they were already quite distant from punk with their music. "Peace" is a furious avant potpouree of heavy rock, electronica, folk, industrial, prog and what not. In the meantime, they started doing music for the theatre (and invented an instrument called "stropofon"). After their comeback, they were already incorporating opera, Balkan folk, collaborating with various ensembles from Gypsy folk ones to brass ones. And yes, 21th Century Schizoid Man and See Emily Play are often in their live repertore! "Necuveno" is also worth of considering within prog context because of Cage's 4'33 concept of silence..."Jedina" also contains lots of quirky avant stuff (and it was the CD issued in the quantity of 1, but label forced them to do reissues). The last album is, in my opinion, fully blown prog, with time signatures, weird soundeffects and everything. There are also references to "Child In Time" and "Wish You Were Here".

Of course, their live performances are a whole debauchery of various people (and animals!) on stage, costumes, scenery...but you know it! Out of curiosity, are they still pulling rose flowers out of their anuses on stage?

I dislike what are doing today (in public) and I think they overdid it a bit...with all that phallic things, explicit masturbation and stuff. But they know how to shock and how to entertain...they're clever in all that stupidity!

Oh, and they are always denying any concept of "parodizing"...hm.




"Enchant me!"
"Oh, I will." *bumps an oversized polystyrene penis into his forehead*

Y

ou know what...I was wondering...could a PA be a home for artist such is Rambo Amadeus?

I guess some purist will lift their prog swords in anger, since his first two albums are more or less rap music (although highly parodising). But as he evolved he started incorporating avant music, jazz-rock,  Balkan folk, snippets of opera and what not. And he's one hell of a guitar player!

I saw him couple of times live, and that was always a rewarding listening experience. What a killer of a jazz rock band!

AstralliS wrote: As I am from Serbia (one of the ex-former Yugoslav republics), I am pretty conversant with the scene, and as the best represents I would mention bands as Smak, Leb i Sol, Time, Korni Grupa, and many more.