Label: ZKP RTV Slovenija
Release date: 11. 12. 2024
Genre: Art Rock / Art Pop
Rating: 9.0/10
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Buy the 2LP!
Whenever you look back at the magical body of work by Avtomobili, one of the central bands that shaped the face of Slovenian mainstream music in the eighties and nineties, you’re simply floored by the sheer artistry of the craft on display. The partnership of brothers Mirko and Marko Vuksanović is by now practically iconic, and in the Slovenian rock’n’roll scene it ranks among the strongest whenever the debate turns to the expressive power of songwriting. Songwriting that’s quick to get hold of, instantly captivating and memorable, that slowly and unconsciously grows on the listener, and with its substance somehow, almost involuntarily but gratefully, builds, corrects and guides you along the road of everyday life. Like a pilot who has all the answers whenever you lose your compass, helping you find the right track again. Even in the toughest moments.
The compositions embodied by this compilation are defined by a finely tuned, sophisticated artistry, with no room for the expressive shallowness of trivial solutions. Not in the poetry, not in the arrangements. Mystique and subtlety in timeless melodies and lyrics. Translated into the form of this timeless body of work, it’s also that unique bond between the two brothers, through which they complement each other like no one else, grow, and in a way constantly sense and explore one another. And that is also the elementary framework of the musical imprint of Avtomobili’s artistry itself. Maybe even the most important part of the story, because that imprint is essential when we talk about achieving the absolute one-of-a-kind quality of the homegrown artistry behind the band’s output. Artistic maturity and ripening soak up many genres and reshape them to their own advantage. Into an artistic essence all their own.
Avtomobili appeared on the scene after the bands that had developed under the strong influence of punk in the second half of the seventies began to work elements of electronic music into their sound in a revolutionary way (The Cure, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Simple Minds, Ultravox,…). And when the first real synthesizers came into use and arrangements in the early eighties, the foundations were laid at the same time for the boom of the ‘new wave’ phenomenon, while pop rock got catapulted into a new dimension and enjoyed an unforgettable heyday throughout the eighties. That’s where our Avtomobili set off on their journey too. They chased the fashionable trends of the day, then gradually, especially with the arrival of Alan Jakin and the album “Krenimo” (the explosive opening riff of Enkrat v življenju remains eternal), they established a highway map all their own, which over the years they nurtured and evolved through their artistry, refining it and bringing to life a very special kind of wonderful musical aesthetics!
“Potujemo (1984-2024)” is the band’s third ‘best of’ collection. In 1995 came “Drugi svet (1984-1987)”, at a time when the band had already released two more albums, which today can be treated as its central pieces. Those are “Mraz” (1992) and “Skozi leta” (1994). So the first truly credible compilation was really the 1998 collection “Največji zadetki”, on which the band also delivered perfectly Slovenized evergreen hits from the first three albums. They’re still fan favorites today, since they hit considerably harder than the Serbo-Croatian originals and so became part of the Slovenian folk canon ages ago. They’re with us on the new compilation too (Punce izginjajo v noč, Sama, Ljubezen ne stanuje tu).
The collection covers the last five albums with just seven songs, which is surely down to the available budget, so the band had to ponder long and hard what to squeeze in and what to give up. The album “Mesta železniških postaj” (2006) is represented only by the hit Nekaj let, though it’s easily challenged from that record by the punchy Proti Luni, the mystical Gorica and the infectious April.
The ‘status’ of the new single named after the compilation, Potujemo, which came out around the same time, isn’t entirely clear either. The single, which you can listen to below, should by rights have been included on it. Given the title, and given that the band is marking 40 years with this compilation, the new single would have worked on it as a convincing cry of present-day artistry with an eye on the future. It’s an upbeat song whose lyrics openly and unapologetically sum up the band’s whole point, and if I were looking for a parallel, I’d probably hook it up with the single Skozi leta (except that Potujemo is its ‘younger brother’). Then there are a few missed evergreens that shouldn’t have been left out: Enkrat v življenju, Ne ljubi se mi spati sam, Kriva je luna,… There’d easily be enough material for the compilation to grow into a triple vinyl or a double CD. But as said, wishes are one thing, and reality tells another story. A triple vinyl would have raised production costs significantly.
And yet. This compilation simply had to happen. Especially given that the band has been going for 42 years and that reissues of its classic albums from the eighties and nineties, say at the very least all the way up to the album “Enakonočje” (2000), are still nowhere on the horizon! The collection “Potujemo (1984 – 2024)” is a duty worth every sin. Not just for the band’s longtime fans, but for all lovers of unique artistry that brings together captivating, subtle lyrics and filigree, dynamic arrangements in one place, and in that combination doesn’t just reach exceptional musical value and accessibility, but teases with its call of mystique and awakens countless feelings and passions in each of us. At the same time, this unique musical ‘stew’ of skillfully melted genres is the guarantee that wins over even the more demanding music gourmets. That’s why Avtomobili are today regarded in the Slovenian music scene as the holy grail of Slovenian rock’n’roll!
The compilation before us can’t be anything other than stuffed to the brim with all the essential evergreens of this fascinating ride, still being woven and made (behind them) by the one and only Avtomobili. It’s a kind of timeless musical triumphal arch for one of the most important Slovenian bands of all time. These days Avtomobili may not fill the Arena Stožice, but they easily sell out Cankarjev dom or CUK Kino Šiška, and Križanke would probably creak and burst at the seams too, if anyone ever invited the band to play there. Hand on heart, after all these years they owe us a proper live album as well.
How strong all these compositions are, both the classics and the songs from the newer albums made between 2012 and 2022, remains a cross-generational fascination, which puts Avtomobili’s body of work on the venerable pedestal of music legends, shining with full intensity in a very special place in Slovenian rock’n’roll, and Slovenian mainstream music too. It symbolizes great artistic wisdom, while not hiding the inexhaustible fire of untamed passions blazing in the hearts of these guys, or as Marko puts it (in the single Poslušaj), when you still find ‘the child inside you (and that joy)’. They don’t do rust. They keep up their youthful playfulness, and when nudged, they still know how to respond with a cheeky, mischievous streak. As if the morning had only just been born and they were only now setting off on their first drive.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Track list (2LP):
Side A.
1. Ona nosi uniformu
2. Punce izginjajo v noč
3. Sama
4. Ljubezen ne stanuje tu
5. Pot domov
6. Gospodar (tvojega srca)
Side B.
1. Drugačno nebo
2. Mraz
3. Lipe
4. V mrzlih dvoranah
5. Skozi leta
Side C.
1. Argentina
2. Hvala za pisma
3. Navaden dan
4. Poletje ljubezni
5. Enakonočje
Side D.
1. Nekaj let
2. Poslušaj
3. Netopir
4. Stopinje v snegu
5. Daleč
6. Zato ti želim
