Detailed Reviews [Dusan Jevtovic - 2020 - "If You See Me"]

Prolusion. Spanish based guitarist Dusan Jevtovic has been quite the active artist ever since he surfaced with his first solo album back in 2014, and to date he has a dozen albums to his name as a solo artist or as a part of a collaboration. "If You See Me" is the most recent of the albums he has issued as a solo artist, and dates back to the spring of 2020.

Analysis. As a solo artist, Jevtovic have rarely been focusing on any truly specific variety of what may or may not be described as progressive rock, and that is very much the case on this album as well. The compositions here appear to be all about moods and atmospheres, presumably with improvisation as a key element, and I suspect that thoughts of genre placement is a factor that just wasn't present when this material was recorded back in 2017. A possible general summary of this album as far as I'm concerned might be psychedelic jazzrock, and then a mainly instrumental variety of this blend of styles. Central throughout all the compositions here is the natural contrast between Jevtovic's guitar, that I presume deliver most of the darker and grittier guitar sounds on this album, and the touch guitar of Markus Reuter. The latter presumably deliver the majority of the lighter toned, floating guitar textures. Quite possibly with the guitarists switching a bit back and forth between the role of exploring the darker and the lighter toned textures, but it is the contrasts between them that create an essential tension throughout. Both guitarists are capable of and deliver sounds more on the loose end of the scale here, floating and expressive textures where harmony and tonality aren't always the main focus, and otherworldly atmospheres with a distinct psychedelic orientation is the result when these sonic journeys are well underway. The rhythm section obviously caters for a stable foundation, and one or both of the guitarists will also provide more fixed and stable textures at regular intervals, but the main focus appears to be to journey towards the more expressive parts of the landscapes explored. On several cuts this is done by opening in a specific manner and then building up to a turning point and then taking the journey back to the beginning again. In the sole song here featuring vocal details, that element is used to add a distinct world music flavor to the proceedings. Otherwise the different tracks will have different levels of pace and intensity, some being very soft and subtle while others will be more demanding, challenging and energetic affairs.

Conclusion. Dusan Jevtovic is an interesting artist, and he tends to explore musical landscapes that is a bit removed from pastures often explored and slightly off kilter at that, but also delivering music that is rewarding to get familiar with and often fairly easy to listen to as well with moods and atmospheres so much in focus. For me, the description of instrumental psychedelic jazzrock is if not a good description of this album then at least a description that will give people some of the right associations in terms of what to expect from this album, as well as indicate the audience that should take the time to give this album a spin.

Progmessor: March 2022
The Rating Room