Author: Urban Bolta
Artist: Divlje jagode
Label: Croatia Records
Release: 2013
Running time: 41:44
Rating: 3.5/5
It took a long, long time, but Divlje jagode have finally put out a new album. After the band’s undisputed leader, Zele Lipovača, had been promising one at gigs for at least half a decade, it landed in the last month of 2013, exactly ten years after their last full-length, »Od neba do neba« (2003). In the meantime, the EP Piramida (2006) held out a grain of hope for a new record, but judging by what followed, it didn’t speed things up one bit.
So where do the reasons for Jagode’s long studio absence lie? First and foremost, it’s the problem of a revolving door of frontmen. The previous album was mostly sung by Pero Galić, then he was replaced by Marko Osmanović, and just when it looked like the band had finally settled down, Osmanović left too, wanting to focus on his main band Cota C4, even though a video for the brand-new song Ne nisam ja had been released in the meantime. That left Jagode in a dead end again, and at a spectacularly bad moment, too: 2013, when preparations for recording the album were already in the home stretch! Zele Lipovača quickly lured in singer Livio Berak, of Croatian roots, who went on to lend his voice to most of the songs on the new album »Biodinamička ljubav«. It was precisely this constant frontman shuffle, which a few years back produced such comical situations that right up until you walked into one of their shows it wasn’t clear who exactly would step on stage as the singer, that explains why the new album, besides Berak, features several other vocalists tied to Jagode in one way or another: Žanil Tataj Žak, Bladimir Kmoniček, Marko Osmanović and Ivana Peters. Besides the singer problem, Zele also blames the late release on the tough conditions that took over the music business once the internet came along, as well as the hefty financial investment the album demanded.
»Biodinamička ljubav« is a departure from the sound Jagode have nurtured ever since their self-titled debut (1978), as Zele, the band’s main songwriter, goes further than ever before in laying out his feelings. He has always loved sneaking in a ballad here and there, but on »Biodinamička ljubav« the softer sound, loaded with love songs, is pushed right to the front – as far as that’s possible with Jagode, anyway, since we’re still talking about classic hard guitar riffs firmly planted in hard rock territory. The album is a colorful conglomerate, offering everything from potential radio hits, emotional ballads, punchy heavy metal and orchestral-sounding touches to a cover of the old hit Đavolji grad, and even the most honest blues language Lipovača has delivered in a career now approaching forty years, the song Srce ne laže.
The album opens with Poglede dovodiš, where classic, “Heep-style” keyboards and guitar set the scene until Livio Berak’s vocals join in at the verse. Berak is the next in line of Jagode vocalists with a touch of the Balkan melos in his delivery, so the vocals may well remain one of the key filters when it comes to whether you can (or can’t) stomach the band. Berak’s quivering, throaty voice steps even further into the spotlight on ballads like Kad te netko spomene, one of the arrangement highlights of the album, since every single building block fits the overall sound in a way that makes sense, so it’s no wonder Jagode picked this very song as the album’s lead single. The ballad crew is rounded out by Korake ne gledaj, with its emotionally deep chorus, and, in the second half of the album, Ne nisam ja, where a classic guitar riff replaces Zele’s soloing over the rhythmic backing, something the guitar virtuoso of Bosnian roots turns to more than once over the album’s forty-odd minutes. Among the heavier songs, which this time around have passed the baton to the radio-friendly softer melodies, the standout is Tragovi, a track with a high heavy metal charge, written for Žak’s clean, high-register vocals, its atmospheric tension underlined by orchestral touches layered over the main guitar motif. The closing song, Do prvog dodira, flirting with almost pop territory, is the odd one out, a totally unnecessary add-on to the first ten retro-minded songs.
In line with the long gestation, the production is top-notch, and the full sound, classic-rock-sounding Hammond keys and polished arrangements make sure it never gets too sterile. Fans of Jagode’s classic sound will miss the old sonic oomph, but sacrificing it is the only logical move for a band that wants to keep up with the times and get closer to a more modern crowd of listeners.
»Biodinamička ljubav« is a convincing piece of work, and with it Jagode, after a ten-year studio drought, have set out to win back the market of the old shared country. With an overall softer approach they’re aiming first and foremost at a wider audience, yet it’s still a credible successor in every respect to the band’s previous ten albums, so it will no doubt find a spot in the collections of the group’s loyal fans.
Lineup
Sead »Zele« Lipovača – guitar, bass (9, 11)
Livio Berak – vocals
Nasko Budimović – drums
Damjan Deurić – keyboards
Bandy – bass
—————
Zlatan Ćehić – bass (10)
Žanil Tataj »Žak« – vocals (7)
Vladimir Kmoniček – vocals (9)
Marko Osmanović – vocals (10)
Ivana Peters – vocals (11)
Production
Sead »Zele« Lipovača
Track list
01. Poglede dovodiš
02. Kad te netko spomene
03. Ti bez riječi znaš
04. Korake ne gledaj
05. Usne usnule
06. Samo da znaš
07. Tragovi (feat. Žanil Tataj)
08. Đavolji grad
09. Srce ne laže (feat. Vladimir Kmoniček)
10. Ne nisam ja (feat. Marko Osmanović)
11. Do Prvog Dodira (feat. Ivana Peters)
