MEGALÁZOTTAK ÉS MEGSZOMORÍTOTTAK

Predominantly very calm art rock (in the original sense of the term), the antithesis of metal, from these classically trained musicians. In fact a lot of this music need not be classified as rock in my opinion. Relaxing and totally pleasant to listen to either attentively or in the background, I can have this playing when working at my desk, which is not something I can do with a lot of rock music. The music is primarily instrumental, with some understated singing (in Hungarian), some almost susurrant. Actually, the playing is understated too, and the music has an innate simplicity. Melodious, a few parts sound almost ecclesiastical (chanting, or choirboy-like vocalisations, or organ). There is some interesting use of instruments, such as the cello, viola and trumpet, and I also like the use of piano and percussion. Birdsong, including the call of the cuckoo, is used atmospherically in places. There are some similarities to classical music, but it does not feel classical in the way that, say, the music of Russian band HORIZONT feels classical; this music sounds more like the music of Bartók, which is perhaps not surprising given the band's provenance, so there is an eastern European folk or Romany feel to it. However in my opinion the music is truly progressive. Some little snippets are even jazzy, and sometimes the trumpet even reminds me of those Tijuana refrains in spaghetti westerns. Different mental pictures I get throughout the tracks are of being in a deep forest at dawn or sunset, or of being on a windswept moor, or of sitting near the edge of a cliff overlooking a wide plain. Some of the music feels a bit as if it could be the soundtrack of a film or TV drama. The music is not calm in the sense of the music of Italian band CELESTE, which has a sunny, carefree air. This album's music has a more serious, sombre feel to it. The second track, which is equally pleasing, even makes me think of the novels of Thomas Hardy. This music is a refreshing change. After listening to the album I come away feeling tranquil. If such a thing were possible, I would award it 3.5 stars, but will go with 3 (Good, but non-essential), but if you want to try something novel and relaxing you should find this album a worthwhile addition to your collection.