Jablkon - Machalaj (1995)

«The adventurous, highly risk-taking Jablkon has turned out to be one of the more long-lasting bands on the Czech music scene. Formed in what is now the Czech Republic back in the late '70s, Jablkon was around during the Cold War […] and the group is still going strong long after the fall of communism and the demise of the Eastern Bloc. Jablkon's music is not easy to categorize; perhaps their work is best described as an experimental, far-reaching mixture of avant-garde rock, progressive rock, European classical, jazz and Eastern European folk. Their lyrics are in Czech, but musically, Jablkon has a lot of non-Czech influences. Because Jablkon is so original, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly who their influences are; suffice it to say that leader Nemec sounds like he has listened to everyone from Béla Bartók and Sergei Rachmaninov, to jazz greats Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman to ambitious rockers such as King Crimson, Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd. Nemec obviously appreciates rock's more complex side, but at times, his group has shown an awareness of punk's gritty, in-your-face toughness. And for all its eccentricity and abstraction, the band is quite musical – Nemec and his colleagues aren't known for simplistic, easy-to-absorb music, but they are melodic nonetheless.» (AMG)

«Quatrième disque du groupe avec un petit changement de personnel, en effet le guitariste et principal compositeur, Ingo Bellmann est remplacé par Dusi Burmec. L’album est encore une fois flamboyant, ceux qui n’est pas le cas des enregistrements suivants, à l’exception du Symphonic. En effet même absent Ingo est encore le compositeur de 80% des titres. La pièce maîtresse, Machalaj est à l’image de l’album, inventif, rayonnant, innovateur et léger à la fois. Une belle part d’humour agrémente ce superbe enregistrement du meilleur groupe de folk-rock bancal. Un indispensable!» (moo)

Many thanx to Giuliano for this post!

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