There are certain things you expect of Eastern European rock groups: competent musicianship, poetry, and a love of beauty that includes the sadder side of life. But on their new album Counterclockwise, Ivan Mihaljevic and Side Effects present a cohesive work of great artistry, and do it with confidence.
This ambitious album has thought-provoking lyrics married to music that really does rock. But it also has beautiful melodies and subdued moments of reflection. There's even a hint of steampunk and classical on the haunting track "Eclipse." This isn't just a set list of random songs, either. It's 48 minutes of a continuous musical experience -- and your neighbors won't hate it if you play it loud!
The album begins with a tiny intro song, "Too Much Is Not Enough." Then the band swings into "Build Your Destiny," a blast of encouragement in dark times. If you were starting to think it was sounding too poppy, the guitar solo will convince you otherwise! But instead of another upbeat song, as would be traditional in most albums, the next song is "What Is Underneath," a moody meditation on the deceptions and hidden motivations of friends and loved ones. Drums and guitar go to town on this one to keep it from dissolving into depression. But the guitar solo's defiance fades away to even more gritty reflection on selfishness and lies. Mihaljevic and his bandmates do a passionate a capella ending to this song. Then comes the first long song of the album, "Driving Force", which features driving rhythms and driving guitar, of course! We now learn that "Too Much Is Not Enough" was just a taster for this song as Mihaljevic swings into the lonesome verse and powerful chorus. Internal rhymes and philosophical questions are handled with the unpretentiousness of a late night, darkness, and the need to know. Arabic and Indian-inspired sounds join the mix. "Gilded Cage" begins with the sound of a clock ticking, and then enters into the question of redeeming not just sins, but wasted and lost time. There's some really skillful acoustic guitar work here. I could listen to this track again and again. "Gift of Life" is another longer track with amazing guitar, dealing with regret for a friend's loss to death. The piano bit near the start is profoundly unsettling. Things have to go up from there, and "Time Travel" starts with a sort of metal playfulness. It's purely instrumental, but the instruments do plenty of singing for you. "Eclipse" is twelve minutes of amazing and awesome. "I Am" is a surprisingly quiet coda to an album, much like a concert encore. After the epic events of "Eclipse," the band is determined to go on -- and to continue building their destiny. Mihaljevic sings particularly appealingly on this track. And then the album ends, on a harp dissonance.
I haven't said enough about the wonderful playing by all the band members, or about the interaction between them that makes the band greater than its considerable parts.
But I think this album is something special, and that you'll enjoy it more with every listen.
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FACEBOOK StreetTeam https://www.facebook.com/streetteamimandse
YOU TUBE http://www.youtube.com/ivanmihaljevic
SOUNDCLOUD https://soundcloud.com/ivan-mihaljevic/sets/counterclockwise-1
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/streetteamimse
