Three Lithuanian Post-Punk & Alt-Rock Classics: ANTIS, FOJE, ŠIAURĖS KRYPTIS

As you may have noticed, I no longer have as much time to dedicate to Soviet Sam as I used to, but that doesn't mean I can't still publish content from time to time. To make my now sporadic posts more substantial, I'll be grouping multiple bands together.

On this occasion, I'll be featuring music acts from Lithuania for the first time. These are three bands that emerged around the mid-1980s.
Antis and Foje are closely connected, as both appeared in the film "Kažkas atsitiko" (1986), directed by Artūras Pozdniakovas. 
Antis is led by singer and architect Algirdas Kaušpėdas, while Foje was fronted by singer and guitarist Andrius Mamontovas.

I represented Antis with their self-titled debut album, released in 1987. It is a masterpiece at the crossroads of new wave, post-punk, and art rock, with jazzy influences (it features a brass section, including tuba player and arranger Petras Ubartas, the second key creative force behind the record). Despite its satirical lyrics, which cast an unflattering light on the Soviet Union, the album was still distributed by the state label Melodiya.

The Foje album I've chosen, on the other hand, is quite different in sound. While the band initially embraced post-punk and new wave, my favorite work from their discography is "Kai perplauksi upę", which was recorded in 1994 and released in 1995, almost at the end of their career. Because of this, its sound leans more towards alternative rock, while still maintaining a very refined and intellectual approach. Soviet Sam will likely revisit Foje and Mamontovas in the future, as he is arguably the most talented and important figure in Lithuanian rock.

While Antis and Foje are true legends in Lithuania (since they are indissolubly linked to the country's struggle for independence), the same cannot be said for Šiaurės Kryptis. The band was only able to record their debut album, "Netiekto", in 1992 (it was then released in 1993). With its blend of post-punk and jangle pop, the album is considered a cult classic, though it never achieved mainstream success. Nevertheless, it is well worth listening to, as it showcases highly original songwriting and a remarkable level of artistry.

DOWNLOAD ANTIS (kbps: 320)

DOWNLOAD FOJE (kbps: 320)

DOWNLOAD ŠIAURĖS KRYPTIS (kbps: 320)

LUBOŠ FIŠER - "VALERIE A TÝDEN DIVŮ" (original soundtrack recorded in 1970, CD released in 2006)

"Valerie a týden divů" ("Valerie and Her Week of Wonders") is one of the most important movies of the Czechoslovak new wave movement, which interested the nation from the early Sixties to the early Seventies. It was directed by Jaromil Jireš and premiered in September, 1970.

The soundtrack was recorded by Luboš Fišer (1935-1999), which was active as both an academic musician and a film composer. It's an eclectic and unusual soundtrack, in which Fišer mixed Czech folk music, chamber music, church music, avant-garde, and psychedelia.

Even though it was one of the most important elements of the movie, it was released as a Cd only in 2006, by British indie label Finders Keepers.

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

SBB - "MEMENTO Z BANALNYM TRYPTYKIEM" (1981) + EXODUS - "SUPERNOVA" (1982)

SBB - "Memento z banalnym tryptykiem"
Recorded in february 1980, released in february 1981.
136.000 copies sold in 1981 (second best selling album of the year in Poland).
Tenth studio album for the band, which debuted in 1974.

Apostolis Antymos - electric guitar (tracks 1, 3 & 4), acoustic guitar (track 4)
Jerzy Piotrowski - drums (tracks 1, 3 & 4), percussion (tracks 1, 3 & 4)
Sławomir Piwowar - electric guitar (all tracks), acoustic guitar (tracks 2 & 4), keyboards (track 3), bass (track 4)
Józef Skrzek - keyboards (all tracks), bass (tracks 1, 3 & 4), vocals (tracks 1 & 4), harmonica (track 3)

Music composed by Józef Skrzek (tracks 1 & 4), Sławomir Piwowar (track 2), Apostolis Antymos (track 3), Jerzy Piotrowski (track 3)
Lyrics (tracks 1 & 4): Julian Matej
Producer: Edward Spyrka

Exodus - "Supernova"
Recorded in october-november 1981, released at the very end of 1982.
476.000 copies sold in 1983 (best selling album of the year in Poland).
Second studio album for the band, which debuted in 1978.

Paweł Birula - vocals, acoustic guitar
Zbigniew Fyk - drums, percussion
Władysław Komendarek - keyboards
Andrzej Puczyński - acoustic & electric guitar
Wojciech Puczyński - bass

Music composed by Paweł Birula (tracks 1, 3, 5 & 8), Zbigniew Fyk (tracks 1 & 4), Władysław Komendarek (tracks 1, 2 & 6), Andrzej Puczyński (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 & 8), Wojciech Puczyński (tracks 1 & 4)
Lyrics: Andrzej Puczyński (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 & 8), Małgorzata Maliszewska (tracks 3 & 5)
Producer: Witold Trenkler

These two albums are not directly related, but I'm posting them together because they basically ended the glorious Polish progressive rock season. Their atmospheric, tecnological sound somehow predated the British neo-prog movement. 
Both Exodus and SBB disbanded after these albums, only to reunite in the following decades.

DOWNLOAD SBB: "MEMENTO..." (kbps: 320)

DOWNLOAD EXODUS: "SUPERNOVA" (kbps: 320)

 

FONOGRÁF - "ÚTKÖZBEN" (1978) & "JELENKOR" (1984)

János Bródy (guitars), Levente Szörényi (guitars, vocals), and Szabolcs Szörényi (bass), all former members of psychedelic rock band Illés, decided to form a new group at the beginning of 1974.

Fonográf debuted that same year, and despite being a sextet, their line-up remained unchanged throughout their ten years history. The three other members were Mihály Móricz (guitars), Oszkár Németh (drums, percussion), and László Tolcsvay (keyboards, guitars, vocals).

They released seven studio albums (eight if we count the soundtrack of "István, a király", which I will write about in the future). Of these, "Útközben" and "Jelenkor" are my favourites by far.

It's hard to decide which one is better, since they are both terrific records. The choice likely depends on personal taste, considering they are radically different from each other.

"Útközben", their fifth album, is a soft rock masterpiece influenced by country music, West Coast harmonies, and funky rhythms. It also makes a heavy use of synthesizers, which is quite unusual for this kind of stuff.

"Jelenkor", their last album, is much darker. You can place it somewhere between AOR and neo-prog, with sci-fi atmospheres influenced by both space rock and new wave.

DOWNLOAD "ÚTKÖZBEN" (kbps: 320)

DOWNLOAD "JELENKOR" (kbps: 320)

 

2021, SOME GREAT POLISH ALBUMS: BŁOTO, FISZ EMADE TWORZYWO, MUCHY, SOKÓŁ.

2021 has been a fantastic year for Polish music. I hope to worthily represent it through these four albums I picked (Fisz Emade are a longtime love for Soviet Sam, but the other three are all new entries, despite having solid careers behind them).

Błoto - "Kwasy i zasady"

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

Born as a spin-off project of Polish jazz ensemble EABS, they soon developed into a full-time band. Entirely recorded live in studio in just one take, this is their third album in two years, and probably their best one.
File under: nu jazz, jazz fusion;

try it if you like: hypnotic beats and nocturnal atmospheres.

Fisz Emade Tworzywo - "Ballady i protesty" (no. 1 on the Polish album chart)

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

Probably their most ambitious album (18 tracks, 97 minutes), equally divided among introspection and sociopolitical commentary (Fisz is particularly critical of the current Polish government, and I would say rightly so).

File under: hip hop, downtempo, art pop, indietronica;

try it if you like: eclectic albums which are able to encompass a huge variety of styles.

Muchy - "Szaroróżowe" (no. 22 on the Polish album chart)

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

First album after a seven years hyatus for the band led by singer and guitar player Michał Wiraszko.

Their alternative pop music is as epic as ever, even thanks to an impressive set of collaborations: Emade (producer), Hey's members Paweł Krawczyk (producer) and Katarzyna Nosowska (vocals: track 2), jazzist Monika Borzykm (vocals: tracks 3, 5, 7, 9), Bela Komoszyńska from Sorry Boys (vocals: track 1), Lady Pank's Jan Borysewicz (lead guitar: track 1), Republika's Zbigniew Krzywański (lead guitar: track 11).

File under: indie rock, jangle pop;

try it if you like: powerful riffs and grooves, ethereal atmospheres.

Sokół - "Nic" (no. 1 on the Polish album chart)

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 231-280)

One of the most important Polish rappers. This album, entirely curated by expert sound engineer Rafał Smoleń, is his masterpiece.

Filder under: hip hop, wave music;

try it if you like the concept of rap music being influenced by synthwave.

VIDEO SECTION:

TAMÁS CSEH & JÁNOS MÁSIK - "LEVÉL NŐVÉREMNEK" (1977)

Singer and guitar player Tamás Cseh was a young teacher when he met the still unknown writer Géza Bereményi, in 1970. They started writing songs together, but they did not try to record them, since they feared censorship for their social contents.
After some years spent in the Budapest intellectual scene they finally started to gain some credit, and in 1975 they met multi-instrumentalist János Másik, with whom they entered the staff of renowned theather Huszonötödik Színházban.

"Levél nővéremnek" was presented there in 1975 as a contemporary folk opera, performed by Cseh and Másik. Bereményi's lyrics were structured like a letter to an imaginary elder sister, to whom the main character narrates his everyday life in Budapest, his love stories, and his concerns.
In 1977 they were finally able to record it for the state label Hungaroton, without meeting any censorship (even though they probably had toned the songs down a bit, in order to avoid it).

The album was perceived as an artistic revolution in Budapest and basically marked the birth of Hungarian alternative music.
Sadly, it wasn't met with the same enthusiasm in the rest of the nation, that lacking the cultural ferment of the capital perceived the product as too elitist.

Produced by Attila Apró
Lyrics: Géza Bereményi
Music composed by:
János Novák (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 18, 22)
Tamás Cseh (tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 11-14, 16-17, 19, 21, 23)
János Másik (tracks 2, 4, 10, 15, 20)

Tamás Cseh - vocals, guitar
János Másik - vocals, guitar, bass guitar, double bass, banjo, organ, piano, harpsichord, percussion

Additional musicians:
János Novák - cello
Tomsits Rudolf - trumpet
László Gőz - trombone

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

OMEGA - "6: NEM TUDOM A NEVED" (1975)

Omega was one of the most popular and enduring Magyar bands. My favorite phase of their career took place in the second half of the Seventies, when they became a staple of European prog and space rock.

This album is probably their best. It features two space rock gems such as the title track and "Huszadik századi városlakó", alongside with shorter hard rock anthems and epic ballads.
The record is sealed with sensational sci-fi artwork that perfectly represents a band at its creative peak. Over time, they developed a strong international cult following, particularly in Germany and Poland.

The line-up remained unchanged since 1971, with János Kóbor (vocals), Tamás Mihály (bass guitar), György Molnár (guitars), Ferenc Debreczeni (drums), and László Benkő (keyboards). Sadly, Mihály and Benkő both passed away in November 2020, followed by Kóbor in December 2021. After his passing, Molnár and Debreczeni decided to bring the band's career to an end.

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

EAST - "HŰSÉG" (1982)

Introduced by a wonderful artwork, "Hűség" ("Fidelity") is the second album released by progressive rock band East, from Szeged (Hungary). They never reached the mainstream audience, in spite of a rather approachable sound, but they have been able to build a small, loyal fanbase. 
The tracklist is composed by eleven songs, in which symphonic prog dynamics meets space rock technology, giving birth to evocative melodies with atmospheric guitars and keyboard layers.
The sound is definitely advanced for its time: it doesn't sound like the latest records of the classic prog at all, but rather like the first ones of the neo-prog movement. Compare it to bands such as Pallas, Iq, or Marillion, which all came later, and you will be surprised.

East:
István Király, drums
Péter Móczán, bass guitar
Géza Pálvölgyi, keyboards
János Varga, guitars
Miklós Zareczky, vocals

Producer: Ferenc Dobó

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

CELELALTE CUVINTE - "CELELALTE CUVINTE" (1987)

Celelalte Cuvinte (trans. "The Other Words") have been the most important rock band emerged in Romania during the Eighties. Not as popular as Phoenix, that at the time had already left the nation, Celelalte Cuvinte still managed to attract a loyal cult following during their long career (they had successful tours as late as the 2010s). 

This is their debut album, a perfectly balanced mix of prog, hard rock, and folk music (the last element was kind of mandatory for rock bands during the Ceaușescu regime, in order to preserve the national identity). 
If you want to understand their sound, you can try to imagine how Rush would have evolved during the Eighties if they had embraced flutes and acoustic guitars instead of synthesizers.

Members
Marcel Breazu: bass guitar, celesta, vocals

Leontin Iovan: drums, percussion
Radu Manafu: guitars, vocals

Călin Pop: lead vocals, guitars, recorder
Ovidiu Roșu - 12-string guitar, vocals 

Tracklist
1. Scrisori iubite
(Ovidiu Roșu, George Topîrceanu)
2. Un sfîrșit e un Început
(Marcel Breazu, Leontin Iovan, Radu Manafu)
3. Dacă vrei
(Marcel Breazu) 
4. La ceas tîrziu
(Călin Pop)
5. În zori de zi *
(Călin Pop, Elena Farago)
6. Fîntîna suspinelor
(Călin Pop)
7. Despărțire
(Marcel Breazu, Călin Pop)

Produced by Romeo Vanica

* Featuring a poem read by Florian Pittiș

 
DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

VOO VOO - "DOBRY WIECZÓR" (2014)

Wojciech Waglewski is one of the most important musicians from the Polish underground scene. He founded Voo Voo in the mid Eighties and he's still leading them.

He's a prolific artist for sure: this is his twenty-fourth album with Voo Voo, not counting his various other projects (Osjan, Małe Wu Wu, Waglewski Fisz Emade) and his solo career.

Released in the fall of 2014, "Dobry wieczór" ("Good evening") is one of the best Polish albums of the new century, an art rock adventure through jazz, folk, and traditional music. 

One song in particular, "Gdybym", was voted the best song of 2014 by the listeners of Radio Trójka. It easily became Voo Voo's signature song, and deservedly so: the first part is an atmospheric jazz ballad sung by Waglewski, the second one is an Azerbaijani traditional prayer wonderfully performed by guest singers Alim and Fargana Qasimov in their typical mugham style.

The album would be worth its price for this song alone, but the rest is brilliant too.

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 256)

NIKOLA VRANJKOVIĆ - "VERONAUTIKA" (2017)

After having spent more than twenty years playing guitar in Block Out, one of the most important art rock bands from Serbia, Nikola Vranjković released this double album as a solo artist. 

It took him around fifteen years to ammass all these songs, some of which he had already played live on different occasions. 

In the end, "Veronautika" resulted in an anthology of fifteen epic songs, with many of them surpassing the 7-minute mark.

It's easy to get lost in this multi-layered sound, created by mixing gothic atmospheres, echoed guitars, wall-of-sound arrangements, and slow, martial rhythms. 

Thanks to some majestic arrangements and Vranjković's suggestive baritone voice, "Veronautika" is as immersive as music can get.

File under: alternative rock, gothic rock, art rock, post-rock.

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

STRING CONNECTION - "WORKOHOLIC" (1982)

Poland has one of the best jazz scenes of the world, maybe the best one excepting the United States.
This is one of my favourite Polish jazz fusion albums, with strong funk rhythms and some beautiful sax and violin melodies.

Every member of String Connection is an important name in the local scene.

Krzesimir Dębski - keyboards, violin

Zbigniew Lewandowski - drums

Andrzej Olejniczak - saxophones
Janusz Skowron - keyboards, trombone

Krzysztof Ścierański - bass guitar

guest players
Mirosław Michalik - guitar (first two tracks)
Zdzisław Śróda - trombone (first track)

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

BREAKOUT - "BLUES" (1971)

Tadeusz Napela was one of the most important bluesmen to ever originate from Poland and one of the best electric guitarists of his generation.
First he founded Blackout, with Stan Borys on vocals, who were active from 1965 to 1968. After Borys left the band, he became the lead singer and changed the name of the project to Breakout.
This is the second album by Breakout, and probably their most celebrated one. It's one of those rare perfect albums in which you wouldn't change one note: blues rock at its very best, with some hints of jazz here and there.

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

YONDERBOI - "SHALLOW AND PROFOUND" (2000)

László Fogarasi Jr., better known as Yonderboi, is one of the most important electronic musicians from central Europe. 

In this debut album, Fogarasi is backed by some great jazz and rock musicians, such as keyboardist Balázs Zságer and guitar player Andor Kovács. Most tracks are instrumental, but there are also proper songs, performed by female vocalist Edina Kutzora.

"Shallow And Profound" was voted by now defunct magazine Wan2 as the greatest Hungarian album ever. I don't know if it is the greatest, but it surely ranks among the best ones. 
Particularly recommended if you are into downtempo, trip hop, modern electronic jazz, lounge music, and nocturnal atmospheres.

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

PRAŽSKÝ VÝBĚR - "PRAŽSKÝ VÝBĚR" [aka "STRAKA V HRSTI"] (rec. 1982, rel. 1988)

Pražský Výběr (aka Prague Selection) were a Czech rock band founded by singer and keyboard player Michael Kocáb during the late Seventies.
At first, they played mainly instrumental jazz-rock, as did most Czech rock bands of that era, but as the Eighties began they became aware of British post-punk, and incorporated it in their style.
The result was a strange kind of progressive post-punk, full of virtuoso guitar and synthesizer solos. In fact, Pražský Výběr were way ahead of British post-punk in terms of technical ability, and that made their music something exciting and peculiar.

This is their second album. It was recorded in 1982, but released only in 1988, as the authorities did not like their frantic and flippant style. Nonetheless, young Czech people adored them, and their concerts in underground clubs regularly sold out.
"Pražákům je hej" is still a rock anthem as of today, but the whole album is awesome. You will rarely hear anything like this. 

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

FERMÁTA - "HUASCARAN" (1978)

Fermáta are a rock band from Bratislava and their first four albums are all highly regarded by prog nerds. 
Entirely instrumental, "Huascaran" is their third studio work and it stands out for its dedication to the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Peru in 1970. In a nation such as Slovakia, where rock music had been put in chains, naming an album to the brothers of a distant country could be considered a political act. 

This line-up of Fermáta was composed by four fantastic musicians, able to merge the angular jazz-rock of Mahavishnu Orchestra and the jazz fusion smoothness of the Weather Report. Guitarist František Griglák dominates the former side, whilst keyboard player Tomáš Berka stands out on the latter. Some parts are closer to symphonic prog, submerged by layers of futuristic string synthesizers.

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

DEŽO URSINY - "PEVNINA DETSTVA" (1978)

Dežo Ursiny was one of the most consistent Slovak musicians, both artistically and from a human character perspective. In the mid Sixties he refused to leave his country to seek success in Germany, and during the communist normalization he had the courage to sing in English, condemning his music to be boycotted by the authority. 
He decided to sing in Slovak only in 1978, convinced by the lyrics his friend and poet, Ivan Štrpka, offered him. The result was this cult album, perhaps too complex to win over mainstream audiences. 

Symphonic prog, jazz fusion, and baroque pop are mixed in five tracks which combine the staple instruments of rock music with chamber strings, harpsichord, brass and wood instruments (including an unusual English horn). Keyboards are played by Jaro Filip, another legend of Slovak music.

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

LOCOMOTIV GT - "LOKSI"

When posting more than one album by the same artist, I usually go by chronological order. Having already discussed Locomotiv GT's debut album, some may find it odd that I'm skipping to their eight one. However, as we are talking about my favourite album by this band and one of my favourite Hungarian albums in general, I just couldn't wait.

By the time this album was recorded, Locomotiv GT had a completely different line-up, with Gábor Presser being the only constant musician. The other three members joined the band between 1973 and 1977.

"Loksi" became their best selling album up to that moment, especially thanks to the weird disco-funk hit "Embertelen dal". In its 17 songs you can find lots of different influences, ranging from yacht rock ("A dal a miénk") to prog ("Prológ és trialóg"), from piano ballads ("Ha eljönnek az angyalok") to boogie rock ("Szentimentális rakenroll"), from soul ("Gondolj rám") to electronic music ("Áldd meg a dalt").
The production is excellent, with many keyboard instruments and experimental sounds, but this does not come at the expense of its songwriting. I would describe the overall sound as "art rock", since every song is extremely refined and smartly arranged.

Gábor Presser
vocals, synth, piano, percussion, bells, vocoder
Tamás Somló 
vocals, bass, sax, harmonica, percussion, brasswinds
János Karácsony 
vocals, guitars, percussion, synth, piano
János Solti
drums, percussion

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

COLLEGIUM MUSICUM - "KONVERGENCIE" (1971)

Collegium Musicum were founded by Slovak composer and keyboard player Marián Varga in 1969. 
The band was entirely built around his virtuoso style, influenced by classical composers (especially from the baroque era and Eastern Europe) and coeval rock musicians such as Keith Emerson. 
That said, the Emerson comparision, although quite fair, is often exaggerated, since Varga had a very original style and a "Slavonic sense of timing, coming in that millisecond early or late, similarly to traditional folk music" (this is a definition given by a ProgArchives user, which I endorse).

"Konvergencie" is the second album of the band, and it is composed by four long suites, with lots of Hammond organ fugues, piano and pseudo-harpsichord parts, intricate rhythms, and guitars with folk and blues influences.
"Piesne z kolovrátku" is the only track actually sung by members of the band, whilst "Suita po tisíc a jednej noci" and "Eufónia" are both instrumental, and "P. F. 1972" contains two short parts with a children choir.
Most of the music has no lyrics, since the band was trying to find a way around the strict censorship.

Collegium Musicum:
Fedor Frešo - bass guitar, mandobass
František Griglák - guitars, mandolin
Dušan Hájek - drums

Marián Varga - organ, piano, synth, bells

Vocals on "Piesne z kolovrátku": Fedor Frešo, František Griglák, Pavol Hammel

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 256)

S VREMENA NA VREME - "S VREMENA NA VREME" (1975)

S Vremena na Vreme are one of the most important folk bands in Serbia. They became famous for mixing the Balkan tradition with the Western world sound, influenced by Simon & Garfunkel and the American West Coast. 
This is their debut album, which also reflects a strong progressive rock approach, due to some unusual song structures and to the presence of electric and electronic keyboards (Hammond organ, Roland synthesizer).

S Vremena na Vreme:
Miomir Đukić - acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, prim, šargija, backing vocals
Vojislav Đukić - acoustic guitar, prim, backing vocals
Asim Sarvan - vocals
Ljubomir Ninković - vocals, acoustic & electric guitar, synthesizer, organ, šargija, congas 

Guests:

Robert Nemeček - bass guitar

Nikola Jager - drums

Ivo Umek - organ (tracks 6 and 10)

Bato Popović - congas (track 7)

Maja Elman - flute (track 9)

Studijski Orkestar RT Ljubljana (tracks 4 and 10)

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)