Album Review: Vlasta Popic-Kvadrat

New Beginnings, or Maybe Not?

    Vlasta Popic: Kvadrat (8.6/10)

Music has advanced so far in the past couple decades that is often so easy to overlook things. We have moved on to an era for crisp, in studio sound and while that may be very aesthetically pleasing sometimes, it can also ultimately be a downfall. Sometimes we get so caught up in the sound of an album that we forget about the songs. While this new record from Croatian punk-rock outfit Vlastic Popic may be pretty well produced, it is very no bullshit. What I mean by this is that it just flat out gives you the music with no fluff and no unnecessary noise. The band exudes intensity in their performance by their shouting vocals and their sinister, yet catchy guitar chords. Also these songs flat out cook! The tempo is always pretty fast, so bobbing your head along is pretty easy. This record is very punk at heart, but some of these tunes are a little more unconventional, namely the 9 minute closer. This album, while being in a completely different language, speaks to me which can only mean that it is truly great. I wasn't aware of this band only a week ago, but they popped up on my twitter feed, and I decided to give them a chance. I was immediately hooked by their dissonant, hard nosed sound, and while punk bands tend to die off pretty early, I would not bet against this band at all. Not to say this record is flawless, but it with punk music, is isn't perfect just a sham anyway?

Trziste kicks this thing off with immediate energy. It kind of feels like an interlude into the actual album, but this is only a minor complaint. This song kind of serves as a microcosm for the record as a whole, and honestly the simplicity of this song only adds to its awesomeness. Ako Nisam Dobra continues in this vein of simplicity, but this track builds more and gets into more of a groove. The whole thing gets pretty loud, and the contrasting colors of the instrumentals with the female vocalists work pretty well. Mastanje is a more indie sounding song with guitar work that sounds very Speedy Ortiz reminiscent. This track doesn't progress much and it can get annoying. The original idea is pretty nice, but it kind of feels like failed opportunity. That being said this track is actually pretty good still, and it serves as a nice break from the punk edge of the album. Dolje is a Rage Against The Machine sounding drum groove over two clashing guitar parts. This track just sounds hectic, and while not a highlight of the album, it is certainly still pretty enjoyable. The small break in the middle of this song where it picks up some speed was pretty unexpected and I really liked that unpredictable moment. Ataksija is kind of reminiscent of a Viet Cong song, especially Bunker Buster. This song kind of just wanders around until all the sudden it is a massive huge sounding piece. Subtle builds help make this track an amazing highlight of the album. The guitar colors are pretty similar to some early Nirvana riffs. Also this track just feels pretty unique in the scope of the whole album. Not a lot of bands can make a track like this, and I really appreciate this. O Vodi is probably my least favorite song on here just because of its generic nature. It's not bad, and the guitar outro is pretty nice, but still it feels like a lot more could have been done to make that track stick out. Nervonzo Se Sanjari is an awesome closer though. This song feels so short, but it is 9 minutes long so yeah that's pretty great. This track takes a lot of twists and turns, including 2 minutes of silence, but it seems to pay off. It makes the track more compelling and it makes the listener truly listen to the story being told. This album has some flaws for sure: sometimes it goes on too long, sometimes the ideas are not creative, and sometimes the ideas are not fully fleshed out, but it is undeniably that this band has an "it" factor. They truly can just jam together and make rockin' tunes which is hard to come by these days. They embody the bands who love the live experience, and they definitely do not need the help of a studio to sound like pros. Every once in a while a band like this comes a long that just has a gift, and no matter how many mistakes they may make, they will always rule! Vlasta Popic are not the "hottest new thing" or the most creative band, but they certainly posses this gift, and I am excited to see if they can continue to make some creative indie-punk records.

Overall, This record is great because it does not try too hard. It is simple and meaningful, just like any other punk album should be. This band has a lot of potential, but knowing the history of punk bands, that does not always work out; however, something tells me everything will be alright for Vlasta Popic.

Best Songs: Ako Nisam Dobra, Szeged, Dolje, Trziste, Ataksija, Nervonzo Se Sanjari
Worst Songs: O Vodi, Slijepa Naza