Romantic Balkans

I haven't been posting for quite a while - just because I was more busy than usualy and really didn't have time nor inspiration for any post. Anyways, today, when I am EXTRA busy and have to translate a bunch of materials, no need to say I decided to have a break and update the blog.

This time it is something connected to where I live in and what I hear quite often about, just with a small variation. One guy from my current - soon - ending - job, who is driving me home sometimes, is always listening to great music in the car. One of the artists that I have found out in that way is Vlado Georgiev. He is a very quality, typical Balkan ballad singer from Montenegro. I will be honest - I have heard a lot of Croatian music, some Serbian and Bosnian, but he was the first musician from Montenegro. And I am so glad I had a chance for this discovery.

Vlados voice - very deep, manly and moody, the tunes - melancholic, romantic, inspiring, sometimes can get a bit sad, if you have why to be sad about. The lyrics are also great, in my oppinion, but even if you don't know the language (I have listened to tons of Croatian music understanding just very less, couple of years ago when I still didn't know the language, and still enjoyed it) - the music will do it's job. And what is most important - the songs have that famous and mysterious Balkan vibe, spirit and deepness, that noone else can repeat.

I strongly recomment at least to check him out. His myspace has very few songs, so check my favourite one in youtube here also: Vlado Georgijev - Zena bez imena

I will try to post more on Balkan and Former Yugoslavia music later on, cause this region has a lot to offer and for people to discover.

Take care! :)

Bebo y Cigala

Just listen to them. Words are not needed.
(click the picture)

Electronic Lithuania

Today I had an idea to make a post about 3 Lithuanian electronic music bands and while browsing information on net found a website, that has a list of quite many of them. To be honest, after opening the site I didn't know should I be just surprised or a bit ashamed that I had no clue about the majority of musicians. But as I already have mentioned before, I ain't no music critics, so this time will let the sad fact to just sweep away :)

If you are interested, here is the website I am talking about and the list of Lithuanian electronic bands: ORE GROTUVAS. I am pretty sure that it will become a quite good "gold mine" for me in the future reference to find some new sounds and tunes.

Now to get back to the topic I wanted to write about today. One evening I had quite a nostalgia for funky tunes that Vilnius bar offers and asked a friend to recommend me something to listen in order to experience the nostalgia in the way that it supposed to be. 2 of her recommended bands I knew before - Empti and Milky lasers (Pieno lazeriai) - but the third one was familiar just cause of one song. It was brassbastardz.
After listening to all of their myspace tunes I felt that great chillout mood, which you feel with a coctail in the hand, cozy couch under butt and smooth-funky lightening around.
All electronic chill out lovers should for sure check out their stuff, as always I am adding links to their myspace websites.

To be short, Milky lasers and Empti have the same vocal - a great voice of Giedre. Empti at this moment is re-born, since after big success quite a few years ago they had a creative break.
The main difference in between these two bands is that Empti has more of a pop - sound and lasers - electro tunes.
The most famous songs of these bands are "Voyage", "Gera myleti" etc. , though Empti has changed quite a lot after the break I was mentioning.



But at this moment my favourite of these 3 bands is brassbastardz (most famous song - "Jiemah" as Žiema (winter) in Lithuanian), cause they are totaly new for me and I am very much enjoying the tunes.

Here are the links. Take it easy ;)

Empti
Milky lasers
Brassbastardz

Blues, blues, blues...

You know, I have never been a fan of all - American style of music, like blues or country. Yes, I have listened to some songs and of course, I have enjoyed few of them forsure. But my playlist or "My music" folder never had a lot of this stuff.
It still doesnt and, to be honest, am not sure if it ever will, but last week I have attended a concert on a beach bar, where a band, called "Harpoon blues band" was having a gig. They have played quite a few songs and even my bad mood couldn't make me not enjoy them. Bluesy/rocky tunes and real "saloon type" of voice sounded just like it supposed to and not for a moment reminded that the band is from Split, Croatia, which I connect more to klappa than blues. I call this proffesionalism.
"Harpoon blues band" is more of a bar and smaller room oriented, I don't know if they have any ambition to grow bigger, since Europe is having different taste than US. But feels so great to know that those, who do like bluesy rock have an option.

Listen to them on myspace, for some reason lately I cannot upload any videos here...
Do you know any other blues bads worth listening?

p.s. some cool blues by Joe Bonamassa right here:

U2

Ok, so I have been to a huge concert a couple of days ago and still cannot concentrate my mind to write anything in the blog right now. Nor on U2 or their concert, nor on any other music.
So far it has been one of the best concerts I've attended (Lenny Kravity was the same level of greatness) and I am extremely glad to have had such an opportunity. Music, show, honesty, energy, power, communication to the audience, amazing atmosphere... all in one and so much more.

For now the next bigger gig I am intending to attend is Eros Ramazzotti in October, again in Zagreb. Until then, of course, a few of others, though less giant ones. Ok, I doubt I will see anything as giant as Mondays concert for quite a while, but still - music is all that matters, isn't it :) ?

To add bit more to this short post, yesterday we were trying to come up with some other bands or singers, to whos concert we'd go without a doubt and which would attract thousands of fans as well. To be honest - the list isn't that long.

Do you have anything to add? Share

Coldplay
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Jamiroquai
Sting (The Police)
Bryan Adams
Beyonce
No doubt
Robbie Williams
Madonna
The Rolling Stones
Gun's and Roses
The White Stripes

Ok, there were some more, but those are the ones I recall at this moment.

M.I.R.

I am not a music critic nor am I an expert, but I am always allowing myself to judge one or other band, song or tune by main criteria - I like it or not. I would love to evolve and improve my music understanding/evaluating abilities and I will try to work on that, but for now I can just be very subjective. :)

For my second blog entry I have decided to write about one Lithuanian band, which I consider very much above the average of Lithuanian music and which I really appreciate and like. To brag a bit, I know one of the leaders of the band personally - not that we are friends or something, but we've went to faculty together and even worked for a extraordinary boring finances task together. But that is not the point. The point is to show, how a real talent, work and ambition can lead one towards success. I remember the freshman year in university, when all 30 of us have gathered pure and innocent, without or with a very small idea what we want to do with our lives and here - 4 years later most of us are realizing ourselves or even achieving so much.

All in all and to be more frank, M.I.R. (make it real) project plays some kind of trip hop, instrumental jazzy music with a great amount of mixing and spicing. Being young and creative people with non-spoiled minds they make the music sound refreshing and amusing, and what is very important - are successfully avoiding the threat of being closed for externals to understand and feel.
Some might and already did compare M.I.R. to Portishead, but I wouldnt - both bands have their "label" and sound, therefore the comparisont could just define the music style or mood.

What I love about this band and others, who have came out in last few years, is that in longer time perspective they are able to make a real competition to all the low tasteless music, dominating the Lithuanian scene at the moment. Great job in educating young people in the capital and hopefully coming to other cities as well wont end up without fruit of success so the only thing to wish is to keep it real, great and patient.

In the end, evolving so fast, M.I.R. are releasing their CD on 15th of August and as soon as I am in Lithuania, I am getting it.

Check out their website, listen to their music and tell me what you think?
I will try to post more simmilar music style videos a bit later, cause blogspot.com now has some error.
Maybe you know some other bands worth attention? Share. :)

http://makeitreal.lt/blog

August breeze for eyes and ears

These days our ears and eyes are exposed to numerous amounts of trash and low quality "art" - music, paintings, books etc. Each day we see, read and hear so much of chewed up and served crap, that the ability to diverse and appreciate something real is evolving the opposite direction.

Just like the fast food - its easy and quick - and even when real meal is on the table, as one of my friends once noticed, - some people are still reaching for the sandwich. That is the part of the mass culture today, weather you like it or not.

This quite primitive introduction is not totally out of the sky - yesterday I have attended a happening, a concert, which I could call on of the best ones lately.
A part from a cultural festival "Splitsko ljeto 2009" - "Dvostruka glazba" by Italian artist Luca Ciarla is a real gourman food for your ears and the ambient where the concert was held added some spices for the eyes as well.
Etno, jazz, classics - the micture of a nice flowing music in the hot August nite really took away breath for some times and even a constantly passing by bat didnt bother as it usualy would.

Ciarla plays both - violin and the piano - and his fresh mediterrean acoustic tunes would bring the audience to the coast even if played indoors during winter.

For those who are interested for more - check out his website http://www.lucaciarla.com/

And this is the place in Split where the concert was held : just to the left is an amazing view of the Adriatic sea and islands.


Please recommend me more of some good music - I will appreciate it a lot!