Author Slavica Sikora

Listening to music and reading have been my favourite pastime since I was a teenager. I grew up in a small town and there wasn’t much else to do. Why I developed a liking for guitar-heavy music I can’t really say. It just appealed to me. A friend from school made me a mix tape with bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. There was no record store in my hometown, but there was a small shop that sold all kinds of electrical appliances that would order records for you if you asked them to. The first album I ever purchased was by Guns ‘n Roses. From there, my musical taste moved forward to hardcore and punk bands, mostly because I had skater friends, and also because with time I understood more and more English and developed a taste for good lyrics. By good I mean critical of main-stream culture and society. In my life, music matters. The written word matters. Poetry matters. Philosophy matters. Like Mr. Rollins, I medicate with music (and literature, and philosophy). The best thing for me is when great music and great lyrics combine. An example? Shellac, Copper. Copper, you’ll never be gold. Or: Mediocrity, you’ll never pass for the real thing. Another one: Cop Shoot Cop, It only hurts when I breath. Boy, do I love the irony in that one. I enjoy figuring out what a work of art is about, or what went through someone’s head when they wrote something. It feels good, when I know I understood, it feels even better when I can relate to what is being expressed. That’s why I write reviews.