Label: Self-released
Year of release: 2018
Production: Hieronim Vilar & Mirko Medved
Length: 34:48
Lustedam might be a fresh name on the Slovenian rock (and pop) scene, but behind them stand serious mileage, sweat, plenty of sacrifices and everything else that comes with the thorny road the band had to walk before releasing their debut. In short, a lovely era of collecting experience and maturing. The debut “Lepo mi godrnjaš” has been tempering for a very long time, and, evolutionarily speaking, it’s a document proving that Lusterdam are a band with a fully formed core musical character right out of the gate. That’s the thing “green”, meaning less experienced, bands can spend ages searching for, burning through several albums on the way. Lusterdam pull it off already with their debut, which, given the long phase of its evolution, is pretty logical. So there’s no need to make any drama out of it, because as long as we’re talking about healthy artistry, that fact brings a heap of positives. The songs went through various phases of transformation before the quartet, evidently devoted to perfectionism, finally “let them go” and put them on their first official, and by now rather eagerly awaited, record.
Lusterdam are no bringers of a new musical revolution. In their own idiom they’ve skillfully, smartly and, not least, thoughtfully adapted their vision to the general understanding of Slovenian rock and pop. In other words, to the musical legacy and tradition of rock and pop from the Slovenian geographic area. “Lepo mi godrnjaš” is an album full of properly old songs, and how many more ideas and sketches are still sitting in the archives is something the band will tell us itself down the line. It’s quite possible there’s already enough material for, say, the next three studio albums.
Okay, I won’t philosophize too much or for too long. Going by what we hear on “Lepo mi godrnjaš”, the guys in Lusterdam must be of a certain age, the kind whose teenage years were touched especially by grunge, and who were partly caught by that post-grunge wave. Some old-school singer-songwriters definitely flash through the association cortex too, from Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan to even a few aesthetic alternative types like R.E.M. Production-wise, the guitars stick out of the sound picture decisively. They carry an utterly organic charisma and a “live” warmth, the kind you get at a concert. Some tracks, especially the title song, grab you very well and very fast, creating an artistic gap when you compare the compositions with each other.
Otherwise, the album often melts together a dreamy, yearning murmur, a longing for those moments the heart lives for and wants, but which often stay unsung, rarely come our way and, when they do, pass very quickly (Sonce). What further points to the quartet’s mature polish and sharp mind are the lyrics, which don’t hide their bitterness about humanity’s delusions, and which the band spits out with no filter in the socially critical Amerika. It’s a wake-up-call song that, with its messages and without any “parental advisory” sticker, directly “pokes” at any music consumer you care to name.
The album carries exceptional acoustic support and an organic sonic mattress. In that respect it’s produced extremely well, as it also packs an exceptionally strong, piercing bass foot that fills the giant sonic space the bass guitar keeps opening up on the record throughout. That’s why “Lepo mi godrnjaš” feels groovy while also speaking to you with the appealing kinetic charisma of its rhythms, which practically invite the listener to move all on their own.
“Lepo mi godrnjaš” is an album that hammers straight onto the radio waves. It’s hard to get more adapted to the general reach of Slovenian pop and rock than this. There’s room for the band’s artistic essence to grow and be nurtured in the future, which means there’s still quite a bit of expressionist reserve in stock. Now the only question is where the band will steer or swing artistically from here. The band, with its character and its identity, which is contagious but at times also “sweetly screwed up”, has exactly what many are missing. Directness and honesty. Musical substance, in other words, that speaks completely naturally and is therefore all the more pleasing. Without the slightest feeling of being forced, let alone cloyingly contrived. That’s why there’s a solid art, pop and rock mattress of musical expression behind it. An album that grumbles with style.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
rating: 8.0 / 10
Track list:
1. S kolesom sem prišel
2. Bele miši
3. Lepo mi godrnjaš
4. Dan
5. Moram
6. Mesec
7. Sonce
8. Amerika
9. Brki
10. Modro je nebo
Lineup:
Hieronim Vilar – vocals, acoustic guitar
Mirko Medved – electric guitar, accordion, piano, bouzouki, backing vocals
Ven Jemeršič – bass guitar
Jure Volgemut – drums
