Detailed Reviews [Doringo - 2021 - "Budem Budem"]

Prolusion. Croatian band Doringo have been releasing new material at a fairly rapid pace from 2017 and until now, with almost a dozen releases great and small available on their Bandcamp site. "Budem Budem" is the name of their most recent production, which was released through the label Hitchtone Music & Promotion in the fall of 2021.

Analysis. Doringo is one of those bands that are difficult to pin down into one specific segment in the progressive rock universe, something I for my sake feel grateful for. One of the points of progressive rock is to progress, and by being difficult to categorize this is a band that has a progressive streak to them for that fact alone. But if forced to state an opinion I suspect I'd categorize this fine band under jazzrock. Those fond of jazzrock in a traditional sense may not feel that this description is a perfect fit, and that is kind of my point too. They do feature jazzrock elements in many of their songs, to a lesser or greater degree, but just about as important are elements from folk music. This ranges from the use of flute details in a manner that will make many progressive rock fans think of good, old Jethro Tull and on to sequences with the flute or the violin providing details, leads and harmonies reminding me of both western and eastern folk music as well as gypsy traditions. That we have a saxophone at play here also adds a bit to the proceedings, and often this latter instrument will be just about the sole provider of elements one can associate with jazz, cue the earlier jazzrock reference. Further expanding the landscapes of this production is the occasional use of surf guitar details, which adds a quite different dimension to the landscapes explored by this band, and while probably accidental one of the songs here also feature rhythm elements that for me at least gives me associations towards dub. An important aspect of this album experience is that the majority of the songs have an uplifting, upbeat and joyful tinge to them, music that will make you in a good mood, and on one occasion the mood as well as the flow of the music strikes me as something of an invitation to dance as well. A description one doesn't feel has it's natural place in a review about progressive rock all that often in my experience.

Conclusion. Doringo is a fine example of a band that makes quality music but still isn't all that well known. Instrumental progressive rock is the type of music this band explore, and on this occasion a variety of it with just about equal parts of jazzrock, folk music and world music as the dominant elements and with a wee bit of surf rock added in for good measure. I suspect that most people that find such a description tantalizing will feel very much at home with the music Doringo explore on "Budem Budem".

Progmessor: November 2021
The Rating Room