Artist: Bosanski Psiho (Diplomatz aka Damir Avdić)
Label: Moonlee Records
Release: 2010
Duration: 47.56
Rating: 4/5
Bosnian singer-songwriter guerrilla Damir Avdić aka Diplomatz is back in action, this time with a first-class upgrade of the debut he put out two years ago, „Mrtvi su mrtvi” (RockLine review here). Time for a fresh dose of the passionately seasoned mishmash from Avdić’s spicy rhetorical kitchen, which now goes by the name „Život je raj”.
Damir Avdić remains a master of razor-sharp lyrics, once again proving that a verbal beatdown cuts far deeper and incomparably more painfully than any form of physical violence. This time Avdić strikes wider, with a seriously stretched-out concept that, on top of the banalities of post-socialist Bosnia already tackled on the predecessor, grinds deep into the territory of former class enemies. Damir Avdić is in constant battle with the delusions of modern society, and he shows no mercy to its “values”. Under the weight of the artist’s rage, they unfold before us in all their stench of filthy hypocrisy and moral depravity. Damir paints unsuspecting individuals, everyday street loiterers, workers, slackers, closet pedophiles, fascists and other vermin of their ilk as grotesque comic-strip characters, preoccupied with daily trivialities they use to patch the holes in their worthless, empty, unproductive lives. It’s a brutal reckoning with reality, and at the same time a eulogy to madness.
What can we, as the bearers of tomorrow’s ideals, be proud of? There’s no shortage of material for a lively debate here. Avdić’s blunt vocabulary slams into the already melted brains of excited Facebookers, and his rage is nicely summed up further on by the lyrics of the song „Umreži se”: „Dobro se osječam dok pedofilija cvate, dok male guze plaze preko moje plazme”. Damir effectively forecasts the developmental reach of the younger generation of Bosniaks through the terrifying poetic assault „Imam dvadeset i dvije”, where he rounds off the point with gems like „guzim povremeno, drkam po navici, a ostalo vrijeme provodim u teretani”. Another juicy one from the author’s home turf goes something like this: „Bratstvo i jedinstvo je završilo, vrijeme je da se upoznamo onakvi kakvi stvarno jesmo”, words with which Avdić drives the last nails into the coffin of the science fiction once known as Balkan harmony. Along with it, charm and all, peaceful Bosnia has apparently gone for good too, according to Avdić. As is tradition, Damir’s spoken word is effectively fused with the raw tone of an electric guitar. The duo moves unpredictably, yet always breathes organically, in fact taking a run-up in the rhythm of a seasoned reciter and then inserting bloodied pauses. The bare-bones sonic setup only underlines the directness of the artistic approach itself, which is a one-of-a-kind original, so it’s no surprise that among the more informed music enthusiasts it’s already building a cult status.
The story Bosanski psiho spews out is brutal, and “Život je raj” is an album that will sober you up, that is, if you don’t put a bullet in your head first. Damir Avdić once again pushes you to think about things you haven’t managed to even consider so far, let alone dared to say out loud. Highly recommended for regular consumption!
Lineup
Damir Avdić: vocals, guitar
Production
Jure Vlahovič
Tracklist
1. Kuda sestro
2. Umreži se
3. Život je raj
4. Svetac možda
5. Kakvo lijepo cvijeće raste
6. Imam dvadeset i dvije
7. Reci zlato
8. Tepaj mi
9. Gotovo je
10. Gdje si majko
11. Bratstvo i jedinstvo
12. Dođi dušo
