Rock Monsters Romania

Text and photo by Eduard Istrate

I must admit that the concept of the band “Am Fost La Munte Și Mi-a Plăcut” seemed quite strange to me when I first heard about them. Their song titles were in such contrast with the music. There had to be something I didn’t understand about them. When they released “Îmi plăceau mai mult înainte,” my learning journey began.

I was invited to the premiere of “Îmi plăceau mai mult înainte,” the band’s latest release, and I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew their band name was satirical. I knew their music was obviously not. But most importantly, I knew those two things made no sense in my mind when put together. So, I asked Stere about it. Then it all made sense.

Stere, the band’s drummer, talked to me before the premiere. Although my main interest was in their new release, I couldn’t hold back from finding out more about their music as a whole. I wanted to know “What?” and “How?”. What do they want to express with their music? How do they do that? During the discussion, I found out that it was critical to understand those basic concepts before I got on with the questions about the premiere.

One of the key concepts I discovered was that of being intentionally vague. Stere said “From our point of view, instrumental music is not meant to evoke any particular thing, and that is what makes it special.” He also added that this kind of music is the medium through which the listener gets to express himself, an idea he attributed to the band Explosions in the Sky. This is closely linked to the nature of their song titles, which “make no sense, because we want to discourage any particular interpretation. […] The songs might as well be titled “‘1,’ ‘2,’ ‘3,’ ‘4,’ ‘5’”.

Knowing this, I could understand more about their new release. “Îmi plăceau mai mult înainte” consists of four songs accompanied by a cinematic video, filmed in the Carpathian Mountains. The music and the video were both recorded at the same time, making the composition a live album without a crowd. Considering their band name means “I went to the mountains and I liked it”, a mountainous background seems like an obvious choice.

This project hints at a new stylistic trajectory the band is aiming towards, as per the YouTube description of the project. The idea of “change” is not only presented through the more aggressive sound they have developed, but also through the video itself. In my opinion, the autumnal background and the sun slowly setting behind the band are both signs of change. Having in mind what Stere had told me, I think the project accomplished its goals. But I cannot tell you much more about what I think about it.

I think the project must stay vague. Telling you what I felt while listening to “Îmi plăceau mai mult înainte” would almost be a sign of disrespect for their work. All I can say is that I have felt things. In a strange way, this vague style can evoke very specific feelings. Some of which are way too specific to be described by any other type of music. I think that is because feelings are unique. So, if you want a totally different experience from mine, check out their new project.