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Within the progressive rock community there are a number
of bands who are considered to be a collectors dream. For
some that’s a band like England, for others it might be Banco
or some other more obscure Japanese band. But for many that
distinction can certainly be applied to the Polish band simply
called SBB. Formed in 1971 their musical output began with
their first release in 1974 and has continued pretty much
unabated since then, although band leader Josef Skrzek has
taken much time off to pursue a variety of solo efforts. Well,
SBB is back with a new studio release entitled New Century
that in many respects encapsulates everything they were and
all that they are yet to become.***
New Century is a revitalized SBB as it has existed since
the year 2000 and features Skrzek on various keyboards, bass,
vocals and trademark harmonica, Apostalis Anthimos with his
ever present double-neck guitars and American newcomer Paul
Wertico on drums and percussion. The trio has been on the
road a lot and as a result they’re pretty tight when it comes
to playing some of the more complex parts. But there is an
overall maturity in the compositions that emphasizes melody
over complexity. Virtuosity is very much present, but it is
never presented in a show-offy fashion. Rather each of these
pieces ranging in length from three to fifteen minutes all
display a cohesiveness that was sometimes missing on SBB’s
early work. Here the playing is smooth and confident. In 2005
SBB doesn’t seem that interested in having you be impressed
with the musicianship, rather they’re more interested in drawing
you into the composition.***
Musically there are many elements that hearken back to
their early days when they bordered that musical line between
psychedelia and progressive rock. You know that time where
a band would almost jam their way from song section to song
section, presenting almost a spaced out-out mood. That’s still
evident and on display in a piece such as “When Was the Last
Time” where they’ve incorporated some meaningful spoken lyrics
overtop making it seem very contemporary. And then there are
many moments where SBB display a very current musical style
for writing a piece that is not only autobiographical but
also very modern such as “Music Is My Life” and then of course
there’s the longest track clocking in at over 15-minutes called
“Carry Me Away” where the music seems to simply morph segment
by segment. There are also a few instrumentals, sometimes
just solo piano, sometimes more. It’s a great mix of progressive
rock elements that’s at once reminiscent of SBB’s early days
but still sounding every bit contemporary especially when
presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Oh and just
incase it needs to be said, these guys can still rock the
house. Check out the bonus track “Positive Polarity.” There
are a couple bonus tracks where the blues take centre stage
showing that their musical pallet is as vibrant as ever.***
So the bottom line here is that it’s great to see SBB
back on tour and on CD. They were an instrumental band during
the time of the cold war in more ways than one, creating experimental
progressive rock behind the Iron Curtain in a time where it
wasn’t always easy to do so. Their latest release New Century
shows they haven’t lost their touch. Any fan of the band will
be proud to own this disc, and for those newcomers out there
get your hands on a copy of SBB’s New Century as soon as possible
to experience a blend of the old and the new. This is a great
release. Welcome back SBB. ***
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