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JOHAN | 2007-08-26 >>>
 ASISTAR_T
"Dvojzemno" | SOMEBODY RECALLED "Empires"
split 7" EP (2007|06|06 Bažina, G.R.F. Records,
Pigeonshitagency, Sir Rex PULS Recordings, Woodland Records)
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
The split of two bands whose
style is very hard to classify, a 7 inch co-released by six label -
this is a summary of the brave action.
Side A is occupied by Sušice, South Bohemia based Asistar_t, featuring
Berry in the line-up, an active contributor to a number of underground
magazines (Rinsing Stage, Metal Breath) and now the boss of this
vinyl-only webzine, i.e. Vinyl Disk Musick. No surprise then, that the
material of Asistar_t appears on a black vinyl, which Berry claims to
be the one an only real medium. The music, anyway. Asistar_t features
four members - Elly on vocals, Kennedy on drums, Mylothary on guitar
and Berry on bass, and also vocals in one song. Still, the moments
when Berry shouts „Orchestra“ (in the song called "Protesta
Orchestra") are in my opinion the least interesting. Berry's „singing“
somehow does not go with the rest. The second part I might consider an
issue is the closing part of the first song "Bardzo", ending so
suddenly when I would like to have „Polska ska...“ again. Other than
that, I shall only praise the thing, starting with the female singer
whose voice is very interesting and contributes to the whole arrange a
lot. And because the lyrics of Asistar_t can be hardly understood (some
Polish, some Czech, some do not make sense at all being just an
onomatopoeic word play), the vocals play the position of another
instrument. An instrument that is skillfully arranged to go with the
entire band, also thanks to a professional sound from the Hellsound
studio. Recently I described the style of the band as a colourful
music with numerous elements blending art rock moments with more
animate, perhaps punklike, breaks. The music is colourful indeed, no
boring moments, still something to keep you on the watch. And
presented with high instrumental skills.
 Somebody
Recalled present just one song, and an instrumental song, to make it
even more difficult for themselves. The trio Marek (guitars), Michal (bass,
synth & programming) and David (drums & percussions) are joined by a
guest - Jirí Vlažný playing didjeridoo. Somebody Recalled have
resigned to a traditional concept of rock music and carry it forward
in a mist of emotions, percussions and synthetic sounds. I was
surprised by relatively prominent bass guitar that goes through the
entire song and sometimes even takes the leading position. Then it is
replaced by the mentioned synthetic elements, or sometimes with the
exotic didjeridoo or a guitar melody. The song is almost hypnotic,
especially if you listen to it late at night with no lights on. The
sound from the Hostivar studio is also a positive thing, giving each
instrument its room (the mix is a top work). Although I was not quite
sure about the song listening to it for the first time, I "got into"
the music and also found my climax in the melodic passage in the last
third of Empires. Both bands appear to have their concept clearly
understood, with enough musical skills.
The folding cover is split between both bands, dominated by gold
colour on the outside, SR using a beutiful font for their logo,
Asistar_t a childlike drawing on the other hand. The inside is a day (white
and gold) and night (black and white), Asistar_t presenting photo and
lyrics, SR just the basic info.
And to get back to the beginning of this review - let's hope the
Nothing venture nothing gained proverb will prove true for these bands.
How? Perhaps by finding the right people to listen to it, perhaps on
the alternative rock scene. |
