Here are some of my favorite albums from ex-Yugoslavia that are considered more niche by some. You'll find YouTube embeds and links to full albums as well as some of my personal thoughts. I hope you enjoy the songs! Maybe a few might end up in your library - that would be super cool.
This is one of my all time favorite bands. I would love to own their cassettes one day but they're really rare now. They would be such special additions to my collection. For now, I made a bootleg version of this particular album myself, just like in the old days.
Such an amazing album! You can hear the complexity of it in every song. And all of them flow together flawlessly. Don't tell anyone about my bootleg cassette of this album either...
The vocals on this album are awesome - especially on the song "Puščava". And the album art itself is so cool! You can definitely feel the DIY aspect of it. It gave me inspo when making my own mix tape covers.
It was really hard to find information about this band online. However, Mario Surjan's YouTube channel and remastered songs were a great insight into the band. The descriptions of the songs have information on the recording process, band members, and fun facts. Please check them out if you're interested and like how Morbidi i Mnoći sounds!
The cassette and vinyl releases of this album are actually different - I prefer the cassette release way more. The one I've linked below is the cassette release, but you can find the vinyl one here. For some reason, there's an hour long AI video in that playlist with bots talking to each other in the comments. It has since been taken over by us humans.
Again, very little information about Pauk is available on the Internet. You can find one of the members in the comment section of the video though! He shared some interesting facts about the band. The vinyl record itself is very rare because not a lot of them were pressed. Another one of my dream records to own - it'll probably be a dream forever though.
Very little information about this band as well - there's a pattern emerging here as you might have noticed. But you can just say that this album is a release by the band Romantične Boje. A side project maybe?
I find it super interesting that Phantasmagoria never actually released a full album. I would love to see them live someday even though I just know their demo songs and some covers because of that. If you'd like to know even more about Phantasmagoria, there's an insightful interview with Tomi Phantasma you can find here.
I hope you enjoyed some of the songs and albums I've listed here! I've tried my best to find information about these bands online. I also have an encyclopedia of ex-Yugoslav bands and artists that I've been combing through.
There are a few YouTube channels that have archived individual songs. They are used in this post so check them out if you're looking for more similar music!
I've always been a big proponent of physical media and actually owning things that you like. The current state of the Internet has only solidified this for me. The Internet was meant to be a revolutionary space for everyone and a place to have fun. Now, it's just a dead husk of itself with bots talking to each other and ads everywhere [among other soul-shattering things]. Dead Internet Theory doesn't really seem like just a theory anymore, does it?
Physical media has been overshadowed by many things, most notably by subscription services that tout unlimited availability to music, films, and games. But what's more available than actually having a DVD on your shelf? Availability on the Internet is an absolute illusion. It's masked under the kilometers of tiny text in "privacy" policies and even tinier footnotes. Don't buy into it anymore. Corporations can and WILL take everything away from you - they already have.
I'm urging everyone to make an archive of your favorite music, films, and old games. Maybe get some nice physical releases or even sail the high seas for them if you know what I mean. Invest in an external hard drive as well [don't buy into the "storage cloud" bullshit either]. Just make sure you own everything you love. That's the only way you'll be sure that you really have it.
Because of the shittiness of Spotify, I dug up my old MP3 player that I got way back in elementary school. I was never really interested in owning a phone back then but I really wanted a music player. The day finally came when I received my very own slab to listen to music from -
The notorious SONY NWZ-S638F
It was such a mouthful to say so I just called it a Sony, like when your parents called every console a Nintendo. It was the answer to Apple's iPod and is kind of similar in design. I wasn't old enough back then to understand all the hype for Apple products and I was just happy to have a magical device that could play all of my favorite music. It has a whopping 8GB of storage and I crammed it full.
I listened to it every day on my way to and from school. I even hid it and listened to it during break times when I wasn't allowed to. The wired headphones were always a hassle to hide - I got in so much trouble.
Over time, the Sony got really beat up because I jostled it in my bag all the time. I eventually got new players with new features - advanced MP4 capabilities, an amazing 1.3 megapixel camera, and even a touchscreen. Very revolutionary, I know. As time went on, I got a phone. The only thing that mattered back then was that it had enough storage for all of my music.
I really miss when that was the only worry I had when it came to devices. It was just you and a device that you owned for one purpose. Everything has become centralized into one thing now - a brick that projects haunting information directly onto your eyeballs.
Now, I have a record and cassette collection but I need something portable to have on the go as well. The 8GB storage of the Sony is really limiting so I'm looking for a player that can house my ridiculously extensive music library. I can finally be rid of the subscription demon that's been haunting me for years.
Click to see my beloved MP3 player! 
With the recent Game Awards and the overwhelming sweep by Expedition 33, why don't we look back at what dominated the charts 20 years ago.
Now, you may have a couple of games swirling in your head at the mention of the year 2005 - the peak year for gaming. The PlayStation 3 was right around the corner, and the hype for it was characterized by the love for its predecessor's many games.
One of these games was Resident Evil 4 - a cult classic in the survival horror genre. With a great balance of intense and thrilling gameplay in addition to an action-packed story, RE4 was a household name in 2005. It occupied a dominating spot on our shelves at a time when digital media was but a budding flower in the field of physical release blossoms.
Another game that marked 2005 was Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening. An action-packed hack-and-slash title, also published by Capcom. Capcom just seemed to have the formula down by that point. Excellent game design paired with enthralling main characters that solidified the taste in men that many people have now.
Speaking of men, what about the original God of War? A game with off the charts brutality and astounding combat, God of War made players lose themselves in the story of a not so typical anti-hero. The cinematics alone deserve an analysis of their own.
But none of these titles come close to the thrilling and masterfully developed game this post is about. A game more action-packed than any released in 2005 or mentioned here. One that leaves you at the edge of your seat. I know we all know it.
Yes, I'm talking about the hit PC game Chuzzle.
Developed by PopCap Games, whose titles somehow inconceivably found themselves on all of our PCs, Chuzzle is undoubtedly their best release. It's characterized by a 6x6 board of the titular Chuzzles that come in the form of furry ball-like creatures. They even follow your cursor with their googly eyes - truly a marvel of 2005 game design.
The goal of the game is to drag these colorful creatures around the board and match them. Simple, right? No. It's much more than that. 100% of your brainpower needs to go into this game. It starts easy, then challenges your very being. The Chuzzles start to become your enemy. They start to hinder your precious progress, locking columns and rows, effectively rendering you powerless. You can scramble the board for new match opportunities all you want but the Chuzzles persist in their mission to impede you on your quest to get a high score. There is no end, only Chuzzle.
Chuzzle is the meaning of life. Chuzzle changes lives. Chuzzle provides comfort in troubling times. Chuzzle brings joy and whimsy. Chuzzle cures.
Choose Chuzzle.
I love Chuzzle.
If Chuzzle has a million fans, then I am one of them. If Chuzzle has ten fans, then I am one of them. If Chuzzle has only one fan then that is me. If Chuzzle has no fans, then that means I am no longer on earth. If the world is against Chuzzle, then I am against the world.
Now on Steam :) - Chuzzle
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