Čuvaj Se Psa - Sve je isto (RnR Records) Review by Miloš Šebalj It’s nice to hear debutants from the Serbian province. Well, not quite province but outside of the major ci�es that usually provide us with the newborn rock ensembles. This fourpiece comes from Nego�n, in eastern Serbia. “Beware of the dog” is their name, in case you were wondering. Already from the band photo on the cover one can assume we are dealing with experienced musicians. So, Čuvaj se psa is only their most recent output. Just to add in this short introduc�on to this EP the reference to the (in)famous “I wanna be your dog”. Let me elaborate. If you are in any way infatuated by the Stooges this will be an absolute winner. This band runs in a strict line along the crea�on of the legendary punk rockers. To be fair, there are some more influences here. Some grunge energy first and foremost. Mostly in the produc�on department, as the sound emana�ng from “Sve je isto” (“It’s all the same” for the foreign audience) is charged high above what any old school punk record had been. While I’m at produc�on, it is le� dirty enough to even reference some garage rock. Music itself draws completely from the raw, primal punk rock. Basic riffing is only momentarily enriched by a couple of guitar solos. Even those are fairly simple, though they do complement the songs a bit. Drums are le� with some more wiggle room. S�ll, I have a feeling Mr. Igor Kosić did his best to contain himself within the limits of the genre. What’s more interes�ng is the prominent impact of bass guitar. That’s where grunge comes back into the picture. Even if it s�ll makes Čuvaj se psa a bit grungier version of the Stooges. You may have no�ced I didn’t men�on Iggy along with his band. The reason for it is the vocalist of the ‘Nego�n dogs’. It’s been a long �me since I’ve heard a less expressive singer in a rock band. The voice of Čuvaj se psa is crystal clear. Even ‘poppy’ a bit. It just doesn’t fit into the musical filth delivered behind. But that’s not the worst part. Singing is almost completely flat. Emo�onless. Where’s the rebellion, rage? When you’re trying to express something that’s bothering you, you need to raise your voice from �me to �me, right? Scream, shout and yell at the injus�ce surrounding you. Do it so people can feel you actually have something to say. And that you actually care about what you are saying. This way, whatever edge you have created with the rest of the instruments, singing is completely dulling it down. You’re throwing teddy bears instead of knives. I’ve even tried ignoring it, but it is impossible. Totally ruined the CD for me. So, RnR Records has done a good job by giving a chance to the underdogs. However, the underdogs responded by giving us a bland recording. Whatever promise the music is showing and as much as I really want to support such acts, the terrible vocals are all I’m going to take from this EP. Čuvaj se psa needs a decent vocalist. ASAP! h�ps://www.facebook.com/band.cuvajsepsa/
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