ARHEOLOSKI ARTEFAKTI TEHNOFILSKIH CIVILIZACIJA PROSLOSTI ILI NAUCNA FANTASTIKA KAO ZANR U UMETNICKIM DELIMA S KRAJA DVADESETOG VEKA

This compilation of the first and second album brings the best of Spira's work. Even though all the labels that his music is surrounded by, like new wave, alternative and post-punk still apply, the songs are very sophisticated and experimental at times. This serves as a fair warning to prog listeners cause Spira does blend in the new wave 80's scene, a dark and underrated part of the scene that is. Listeners might catch on to some krautrock, maybe gothic and some jazz influences, people who are into COCTEAU TWINS might like something like this. Also, lyrics are important piece with more than a few songs being in a spoken word form, and even when they weren't carrying message across they were little stories on their own; so understanding the language maybe made me rate this higher.

First 11 songs from the album "Dijagnoza" ("Diagnosis") are less interesting, mostly basic new wave with remnants of acoustic folk and krautrock, with a theme of alienation throughout the album, which makes it interesting but not the jolliest of listens.

Previously unreleased second album (translated "Design For The Real World") is excellent and much more diverse, with more influences coming into the mix, world music for one. Ambient, boogie, dance and atonal music also can be mentioned as influences in the album sound, but every song is a story for itself. For instance, "Negde U Gradu" ("Somewhere In The City") is more in a electronic blues tone, "Moji Prijatelji Mi Kazu" ("My Friends Say To Me") is a dark dance influenced number, while the mouthful "Kraj avanture otimača izgubljenog kovčega na Pesčanoj planeti", (translated "End Of Lost Chest Kidnapper's Adventure On The Sand Planet") is a short but sweet ambient motive with space rock qualities that slowly degrades into an loud aggressive guitar with female chorus. PINK FLOYD influence also shows up in "Prvi Sneg" ("First Snow"). "Vruće Pile" ("Hot Chicken") is something like post-punk bands GANG OF FOUR or SHRIEKBACK but with a flute and "Molitva svetom Kamenku Katiću ("Prayer To Kamenko Katić") is a prayer reminding a bit of THROBBING GRISTLE. Whole album is all over the place like that, with even cabaret showing up as an influence.

Overall if you won't mind the language barrier and are interested in the experimental side of 80's music you might want to give this one a listen.