MODRA RIJEKA

With their first album Indexi made a masterpiece of symphonic rock! This concept album based on a poem is very different from their pop singles with only occasional prog elements. This album may be the only fully symphonic progressive rock album from former Yugoslavia! Other Yugoslavian prog groups played more in the realm of fusion prog, space rock, folk prog, proto-prog and hard prog.

The first track "Modra rijeka" is a short spoken word track.

"Blago" starts the album in the vein of ELP's "Tarkus". In the beginning there are some complex melodies played in unison and later also in short counterpoint between bass and synth. In this track the bass guitar really stands out with very good melodic playing and soloing all the time. In the middle the vocal starts singing a short atonal melody in small intervals. The song continues with a short organ solo and finishes with passages from the beginning. This track borders on atonal music.

"Brod" is very different from the previous track. First we hear a few water sounds then the music begins softly with simple melodies later alternating with more rocking parts. This track reminds me of less complex songs of Italian bands e.g. BANCO, PFM, LE ORME.

"More" is a complex 11 minute epic. It starts with electronic soundscapes and continues similar to "Blago" with prominent bass and energic vocal. The composition continues with a lot of nice solos of bass, acoustic guitar, piano, electric guitar and Hammond organ. Last few solos are linked with a symphonically arranged theme repeated also in bass. The outro is similar to intro - like in "Blago".

"Zapis O Zemlji" is a short spoken word track.

"Slovo o covjeku" has the more usual verse and chorus structure. The verse is sung very pleasantly and passionately with a nice piano and guitar accompanying. This is IMO the best singing part on the album. I don't mind if the chorus reminds me of Dalmatian pop songs. Definitively the most upbeat song on the album.

"Pustinja" is a diverse track with decent group interplay and occasional unusual vocal harmony. "More II" is a peaceful instrumental with keyboard and guitar solos. Similar to YES.

"Modra rijeka II" is a symphonic song reminding me of Italian symphonic bands again. I especially like the guitar theme in the intro, chord progressions and symphonic arrangements in this song. There is also a small orhestra added to enrich te sound. A great symphonic piece!

This album is essential in Yugoslavian prog collection!