Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Various Artists
Label: Regionalni center za razvoj Zagorje
Release: 2013
Length: 58:33
Rating: 3/5
Just a month after the compilation from the Kočevje neck of the woods, »Grupni – Kočevje špila« (December 2012) – RockLine review HERE – the Zasavje end of Slovenia woke up too and launched its own compilation of 19 original tracks by 19 acts from the Zagorje-Trbovlje-Hrastnik region.
The acts on this compilation can also be split into three basic segments, or categories: alternative bands, bands that cultivate a radio-friendly sound, and a category of oddballs with homegrown, original character.
Let’s start with the radio-friendly sounds, which are kicked off on the compilation by Andrej Ikica. The man who, after leaving Druga dimenzija, decided to try his luck as a solo artist has come up with the track »Ko mine ta dan«. It opens the album and ranks among his better creations. A catchy, organic-sounding number backed by guitars with a full-on »jangle« sound; the warmth is underlined by retro keyboard curtains, the alternative contour is noticeable but mild, and above all it’s Andrej’s signature, instantly recognizable vocal that adds that touch of something special. Worth a spin for fans of acts like Aimee Mann, Suzanne Vega etc. Quite a few of the compilation’s tracks take a turn when we run into the band Neon Spektra and the track »Senca«. It features one of the few female vocals on this compilation, which is a real curiosity. Apparently the Zasavje region is short on talented singers. Anyway, the track also sits in the upper quality tier of this compilation. Even though it’s a catchy tune, its link to alternative rock is clear, yet masterfully disguised in the rhetoric of 80s »synth pop« cosmetics, even »new wave« mellifluousness, which creates the song’s dreamy, cerebral, even psychedelic infatuation, commanded by the ear-pleasing yet coldly aloof »cooing« of the lead female vocal. Compared to Andrej Ikica, though, Tomaž Mihelec’s »Accede« comes off much less convincingly. Using English is something that, wittingly or not, nudges a musical idea toward cliché.
Our good old RockLine acquaintances Chaosstar serve up some metal satire in the track »Make Me Rich«. The band, who in 2009 released an excellent studio debut called »Lifetime« on On Parole Records (RockLine review HERE), are standing on the threshold of a turning point. Lineup changes, a change of style? In the chorus, »Make Me Rich« doesn’t hide its Edguy-style satire, but it edges closer to the clichéd power metal standard. Luckily we can’t draw any final conclusions yet, since we have to wait for the studio album. The new vocalist, despite much greater technical polish, doesn’t bring the distinctive, original tonal character of his predecessor either. Because what you expect from Chaosstar is the best »pickaxe metal«!
The homey-sounding cauldron of the compilation’s tracks, though, is stirred by the well-known Slovenian punk rock crowd! Miners’ punk! The first full-blooded avalanche of punk raucousness from the new but fiercely hungry band Datura, with their version of the original »Trboule«, convinces completely. A proper miner’s bellow, fortified with a drop of schnapps, and a trivial figure of semitone-wrapped phrases, bolstered by gnarly, dissonant screaming. Right behind them, believe it or not, with a track of the very same title (»Trboule«), the miners’ punk vise grip on the compilation is held by the kings of alcoholic rock’n’roll The Drinkers, with the returning Koli at the head of the band! A typically cut-from-the-same-cloth Drinkers number from the old »Koli-era« school. Like it escaped, belching, from a dive bar with a Zasavje forester well weighed down by juniper brandy. Minimal, predictable, no philosophy. A drinking song by drinking rock’n’roll romantics. After »Recidiv« for the Val compilation »Imamo dobro glasbo 012« (RockLine review HERE), one more confirmation that The Drinkers are truly returning to the musical haunts where they once built their name on the scene. Fallen Idea is the band that offers the track »Brez meja« on this compilation album. It’s a modern, trendy, MTV-style story built on skate punk/ska foundations. A cheerful, rattling punk rock barbecue for everyone who knows bands like Taking Over Mars, Golliwog, Elvis Jackson etc. Tried and tested, and already heard. More of interest in the alternative rock cauldron of this CD comes from Icarus Down, who keep up their own distinctive expression with »YATC Rough«, drawing inspiration from the post-punk rock school. Besides Datura, Kvazi Cirkus are another set of standard-bearers keeping the real punk rock engraving of the Slovenian proletariat alive. Kvazi Cirkus are also much better-schooled musicians, so the track is backed by a more demanding, intricately figured arrangement framework, tied to a ruinously, debauchedly roaring vocal. On the other hand, the alternative, pop-rock-flavored story of the band November1 in the track »Himna za naprej«, which follows in melos the already proven anthemic quality of Siddharta, moves closer to the radio. The song’s framework also traps a dose of bombast in the middle symphonic-instrumental part. The contour of melancholy could bring mainstream listeners closer to Bohem too.
A banal track, an utterly banal one? Looking for one on the compilation? Koala Voice with »Go Disco, Go« come across as a kind of marker of the unlucky stumbling around in today’s trend of dance rhythms creeping back into the alternative rock scene. Something that Lollobrigida or Slovenia’s Fury Walls do far more convincingly. Koala Voice are a young band, and even their name is a reminder that its members were playing with plush toys not so long ago. Anyway, let’s wait and see what the future brings, and let ourselves be surprised.
A dose of hardcore is more than welcome, since this compilation is sorely short on adrenaline rush. Kreshesh Nepitash take care of that with »Don’t Blame It On Me«. A great solution for opening gigs before Pro-Pain, Madball and/or Agnostic Front. The guys understand what a voluminous groove is, and in the rich production of the sound, a rattling, thickened bass line helps build it too.
Orlek are a special case on every compilation. »Življenje gre naprej« is a track that makes it clear the band members are mostly well provided for and that life’s treating them well day to day. At least somebody’s. The most positive track on the album. The banal lyrics, which are out to buy airtime on the radio waves, and the kindergarten-level simplicity of the composing, get rescued once again by the playing of the instrumentalists, who share a long-standing chemistry and build a backdrop of accompaniment that’s a juicy, tightly gripped combination of rock and wind-and-accordion culture.
Red Five Point Star are the Zasavje version of Kočevje’s Sell Out, or vice versa. A ska combo chasing MTV trends. Solid, but nothing outstanding. The track »I’ll Grow Old« is nice. It’s cut within the narrowly defined set of permissible and impermissible arrangement moves that ska offers. More than anything, it’s mainly about adding some genre variety to the compilation. A lovely, convincing marriage of vocals and instruments, but without any standout artistic originality.
Toward the end it finally roars the way it should! Terminal Disease whip up a thrash metal/metalcore/hardcore blender that will rip your head off. The chorus almost runs off into too hefty a dose of melody, yet still keeps the sharpness at a high level. Unbelievable what just three members can pull off. A fistful of dynamite in the face. A combo of seasoned musicians who will hopefully get a studio release out, because »Darkness Falls« is a very promising track.
One of the compilation’s highlights comes at the very end, with the track »Sea Near Me« by the trio We Can’t Sleep At Night. The vocal is aloofly absent, almost sinisterly biting, just right for the primeval »indie« spirit of independence. The band uses simulated synthesizers to create a hypnosis of post-punk atmosphere, and the track sticks to an unpredictable development. In well under three minutes, a lot of fresh, adventurous ideas happen, putting We Can’t Sleep At Night among the most interesting new-wave bands, a band that knows how to set the hearts of a new wave of teenagers on fire. A band that belongs at every festival of the FreQuency or Nova Rock type. A band that deserves wider recognition. We’re waiting for the third studio album!
The hip hop section of the compilation consists of Bajta 13 (track »Chillax«), Five D (track »Dobvar Vibe«) and Lider (track »Moji snovi«). Of these three, »Moji snovi« (Lider) is the most convincing. Both in the combination of the sonic backdrop (the beats) with the delivery of the poetry, and in the sheer sharpness of the whetted tongue and confessional juiciness of Danijel Djurdjević.
With this compilation, the Zasavje end of Slovenia proves that what it does best is authentic, hard-charging miners’ punk rock, while the pure metal heritage is rather meagre. There are also a few fresh acts cultivating a recognizable charisma and an original sonic legacy. Those oddballs are above all We Can’t Sleep At Night and Neon Spektra, Icarus Down, and also the »jangle pop rocker« Andrej Ikica. The honor of the compilation is saved by hard deeds from Kreshesh Nepitash and Terminal Disease, while the orthodox metal messiahs Chaosstar, with the experiment »Make Me Rich«, succumb to already-heard clichés. Then there are the tried-and-tested names that never let you down, like Red Five Point Star, Orlek and The Drinkers, who don’t offer anything new or unheard either, but stay anchored in proven waters, where they feel best at the arranger’s helm.
However you look at it, the Zasavje end offers less provocatively stimulating originality than one might have expected, especially if you compare this compilation with »Grupni – Kočevje špila« (2012), but still. An extraordinary move by the publishers, donors and sponsors who made its birth possible. Zasavje is rich, no doubt about it. The tradition is passed down from generation to generation, and the lineup of acts on »Zasavski Krasen džumbus – V 3 Krasne« shows that off proudly. So let’s hope for an annual continuum of the compilation!
Tracklist
1. Andrej Ikica – “Ko mine nov dan”
2. Bajta 13 – “Chillax”
3. Chaosstar – “Make Me Rich”
4. Datura – “Trboule”
5. The Drinkers – “Trboule”
6. Fallen Idea – “Brez meja”
7. Five D – “Dobar Vibe”
8. Icarus Down – “YATC Rough”
9. Koala Voice – Go, Disco, Go
10. Kreshesh Nepitash – “Don’t Blame It On Me”
11. Kvazi Cirkus – “Odrešenik”
12. Lider – “Moji snovi”
13. Neon Spektra – “Senca”
14. Nevember 1 – “Himna za naprej”
15. Orlek – “Življenje gre naprej”
16. Red Five Point Star – “I’ll Grow Old”
17. Terminal Disease – “Darkness Falls”
18. Tomaž Mihelec – “Accede”
19. We Can’t Sleep At Night – “Sea Near Me”
