Review by: Victor Guimarães
Album assigned by: Nina A.
Music is known for having no boundaries. One good example is listening to Tangra (Тангра in the good cyrillic alphabet). A very popular band in the 80s and 90s, the band brings some of the Bulgarian rock and new wave scene. Their name, Tangra, is based on the sky god Tengri (spellings may vary), the main god of the old Turkic pantheon, also venerated by old Bulgar people.
This record, II, as the name implies, is their second album. In this easy-to-listen 10-track work, Tangra shows they can hold their own in the new wave scene, not being left behind by the genre big shots. In general, the record’s got a pop approach, intrinsic to the new wave movement, but it stands out due to good vocals, good guitar riffs, the fair share of electronic beats and lots of ooh-ooooohs.
With the help of modern-day wonders, such as translating tools, it was also possible to check the lyrics. While not a conceptual, philosophical album, the sky-god crew did a nice job as lyrics range from the love song and hit "До последен дъх" ("Till The Last Breath") to the modern-day routine critic "Делник" ("Workday"), to the metaphorical "Оловният войник" ("The Lead Soldier") and to a heavy break-up (that I hope it’s not a suicide) letter in "Така стоят нещата" ("That’s How Things Are").
This trip to Bulgaria was a very pleasant experience as Tangra made me listen again to 80s music. If you’re looking for a good new wave band that haven’t gone astray from rock, Тангра is more than worth a shot.
No comments:
Post a Comment