Jakob @Mochvara 04May2015

Jakob on stage @ Mocvara in Zagreb.

Somewhere in the midst of Invasion of Soul Society and main story progression
there is final battle between Kurosaki Ichigo and Aizen Sosuke
and as the story develops there is much talk of the power and of expectations
showing quite clearly how much of a discrepancy can arise between one’s abilities and external recognition of those abilities.

But facts are facts,
And acts, not words, bring down the final verdict of history.


I love this part of Bleach story and also I recognize this as a valid and common psychological fact in reality.

I speak of it right now because that is how it was on recent Jakob gig in Mochvara.


Jakob play quite nice, gentle and richly orchestrated post rock.
Their records are finely polished and show both knowledge and attention to detail.
Many, if not most post-rock bands have same general profile
And, by themselves, things spoken of above, are no guarantee of good live gig.


But this gig was good.
Really. Good.



I noticed it is this good when already stricken by its power, on my knees like Aizen Sosuke in front of Ichigo’s Mugetsu.
It was very tactful performance, streetwise and marked with modesty.
Maybe the best description (and surely most surprising for me) is that for part of that act I forgot I’m not home.
Sound was beautiful, delivery very unassuming and it felt so natural

That it felt like just perfect place to be at.



I cannot give bigger compliment than this, since venturing out of the comfort of my much beloved lair frequently borders on physical pain - and this felt so soothing I forgot I’m not home.

Return of The Running Mojo

Last week I started to run again after my pneumonia break.

When I was ill I was just too sick and exhausted to move and later on I decided to slowly pick up the pace, first by taking long walks and working out at home (strength and cardio, mostly 15-minute HIIT trainings) and last week I felt strong enough to go on a “real run”.

I have also changed eating habits some, by trying to eat with a bit more thought invested in diversity and nutritional values, not only presentation and taste - and I think this was a excellent decision as I feel really good, not to mention how regular digestion can make person very happy indeed :D

I think I have just now begun to actually enjoy running.

I’ve been running off-and-on for couple of years now, running regularly for a few months at a time and then skipping or pausing altogether, not really letting it become a habit and treating it as a constant competition more than something intimate and inherently enjoyable. Until now I have made a lot of small changes in how I run; starting to use Endomondo to track my runs, changing shoes from classic shoes into more barefoot version, changing accessories to feel more comfortable while running, trying out different surfaces and different time of day, varying routes where to run to include inclines, steps, people or solitude. I also read a few books including excellent Murakami’s What I talk about when I talk about running and lastly Jogging by Ivo Belan.

In things of approach to running and technique I especially liked Belan’s book. It gives great advice on host of questions and things you usually don’t remember to ask before you have to resolve them while running. Most importantly I loved his descriptions of running as an activity that is intertwined with other life activities. I love how he includes details about other people, about family members and agreements, about participating - even in a slow pace. In his words you can see how participation alone can truly mean victory.

So I reviewed my running from a different perspective; less aggressive and with more anticipation of enjoyment in process, rather than in result.

And  my runner’s mojo returned, eager to go where it was unable to go before.

Portman - The Man Who Carries a Light

While we are on a subject of enjoying one’s moment I thought to tell you a thing or two about one of my favorite albums of 2013.

Taken at album promotion gig at KSET 03Oct2013

Portman - The Man Who Carries a Light

I wrote about Portman before; when they supported Maybeshewill in Attack in 2012 and about album promotion in October 2013. and if you checked that out you it may seem to you that I like them very much - but, I would like to elaborate that.

From their promotional material one can learn that:

"Portman is instrumental trio from Našice. They work as a band from 2004. and they have released two albums in this period: Pereskesije (2009., Lady Records) and The Man Who Carries A Light (October 2013., Klub dostava zvuka and Lady Records). The Man Who Carries A Light was recorded at House of Pablo in Zagreb and it was recorded and produced by" no other than Leo Klaić, the man who has surely became my absolutely favorite Croatian music scene name (She loves Pablo, Elephant Stalker, Killed a Fox)." This album consists of 8 instrumental pieces in which, except basic post-rock sound, many other musical influences interlace - from stoner riffs to psychedelics and heavy metal vibes. Portman members also play in other bands like Hesperian Death Horse, Uthovar, Oprosti."

Also in their promotional materials one can read that: 

“The Man Who Carries A Light is an allegory of a man who is able to influence his environment and change the world to make it better. It is a man who did not lose hope, who kept his unyielding spirit, who did not give up on himself or on others. Song titles stem from the man himself, his environment and the difficult position in this bleak world in which materialism coerces him to abandon his values in the course of fighting for survival. Album is inspired by  man’s animal need for exclusively personal survival, with situation and unpromising position of individual in a world we live in. Song listing consists of two subgroups; first 4 songs (Put, Ris, Roj, Trn i.e. Road, Lynx, Swarm, Thorn respectively) are connected with man’s environment and nature, while second 4 (Sit, Srp, Krv, Rob i.e. Satiated, Sickle, Blood, Slave respectively) relate to the man himself and his struggle with existence and preoccupation with survival and power.”

I do not really see all that: the trouble, the survival, the loss of values - and if I weren’t told this story I doubt I would hear this in the music.

But I LOOOVE this album.

Absolutely love it.

I listen to it almost every day from when it was released and I love its metallic undertones under its post-rockish façade.

I love how it starts and how I can hear it in my lungs even when I only listen to it through the headphones. I love how the songs organically flow one into the other and I love how they are all so good I change which I like best at least three times a week. I love how they feel so unyielding and unapologetic and I love how I see the frontman’s face in my mind’s eye like an exquisite jewel of introversion - not really singling him out as a person but as a symbol of everything my inner introvert finds worthy of undivided awe.

I love how this is an immediate pick-me-up whenever I feel under the weather and demoralized.

I love how I can put it on and immediately forget that I work with people and all the disgust that goes with that.

And most of all I love how this is THE go-to album of a person raised on heavy metal who at some time gave up on finicky nature of lyrics and sailed into post rock voicelessness as onto an ocean of sincerity. 

Wait, what am I saying?! 

It seems that I actually DO see all that - the trouble, the survival, the loss of values - and that one CAN hear this in the music too.

Check it out. Enjoy.