NA LEPEM PRIJAZNI

3.5 stars actually for this interesting band! NA LEPEM PRIJAZNI began their history in 1978 in then what was Yugoslavia after their leader Andrej Trobentar left SEDEM SVETLOSNIH LET ("Seven Light Years") which would eventually become later on the more famous avant-rock band BULDOZER with MARKO BRECELJ. Between SEDEM SVETLOSNIH LET and NLP Andrej founded a band 6 KILOMETARA NA SAT ("6 KILOMETERS PER HOUR") which would later on become the rio avant-garde BEGNAGRAD. Andrej brought some of this mood in the new band as well, considering the sometimes wacky lyrics, use of ska singing and sometimes silly mood. I like to think this is what BULDOZER would maybe sound like if they started out in the 80's but with less avantgarde approach and with more jazz and fusion in the mix.

Overall sound of the album is pretty accessible, sometimes rather groovy and funky as well, hence in sales often described under art rock. Vocals suit the music perfectly, it is mostly sung in slovenian language with some ramblings and vast palette of screams and ska singing that goes with the flow, one notable difference being the song "Suckitandsee" which is in english and the chorus of which is on par with controversies BULDOZER sang on their debut ("Take it or leave it, suck it and see, do you do it, and do it to me") which might have got them some attention from the communist so called "trash commission" at the time. The music lingers but sometimes ventures fully in eclectic prog territory, most notably on the instrumental "Ernebjes" or the almost-instrumental "Marginalna Infekcija" ("Marginal Infection") which might give people a GENTLE GIANT feel. Other tracks aren't throwaways either, except the sax-driven hit single "Lisica" ("Fox"), "Cao" or "Medvedove Hruske" which don't do much for me.

Another term that I don't throw around the progressive rock circles usually is that it's fun. Just genuinely fun record, and I think it's a sign of decent music if I keep coming back to it and listening it this often, and that's something I don't do with the established prog masterpieces (I don't have the patience to listen to "Close To The Edge" every time I'm riding on a bus). I might be coming back and changing it to full 4 star rating just for that reason.

In conclusion, this was was as prog as it gets in the 80's in Yugoslavia as all the old dinosaurs have left their golden era and disbanded or entered clumsily in the time of new wave and punk. At this time only the bands IGRA STAKLENIH PERLI and TAKO were still active (only because they started making early 70's space rock in 1979) and there was one more worthy album from the fusionists SMAK in 1981, but there was nothing groundbreaking that would be for the new decade. Even BULDOZER lost their spark at this time, with only DR. SPIRA coming later on with more experimental stuff using new wave as a starting point. Not that I would call NA LEPEM PRIJAZNI to be a trendy band but they don't seem out of place or time and it would have been interesting to hear them develop their style over years with more LP's but it wasn't meant to be, leaving us only with the reunion album more than 20 years later.