Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: MI2
Label: ZKP RTV Slovenija
Release: 2012
Running time: 97:01
Rating: 4/5
Mi2, a band originally from Rogatec, are a crew of seasoned musicians who know exactly how to serve the ears a helping of highly contagious rock n’ roll. A little melancholic, a little romantic, a little dirty-minded, they know how to play the female heart just right: teasing enough, vulnerable enough. And of course we can’t skip the gorgeous dose of tasty sarcasm that defines the lyrics, along with Tone Kregar’s whole way of delivering them vocally. You can’t fault these guys for anything. Six albums, artistic growth across all of them, a pile of catchy rock hits that are supposed to define the real Slovenian »mainstream«. »Supposed to,« because we all know that, sadly, the only thing that defines it is silicone implants.
Still, thanks to that string of hits, Mi2 today enjoy a well-earned status as a highly recognizable name on the Slovenian rock scene, the sweeter side of it, anyway. The document in front of us captures, in the most fitting way, a retrospective cross-section of the band’s six studio albums, with a selection of live performances from four of the band’s appearances on the shows »Izšetkani« and »Klub klubov« in 2003, 2009 and 2010 (the first disc). The second disc has nine songs from the band’s gig on October 27, 2010, at Ljubljana’s Cvetličarna, which is surely a lovely keepsake for everyone who may have partied with the band live in Cvetličarna that day. The concert was held to mark the 35th anniversary of Val 202!
The first disc has a more polished, controlled sound and the band-audience connection doesn’t come across as strongly, but it’s clear right from the first, the »club« disc, that in every one of the four appearances on »Izšetkani« and »Klub klubov« the quintet is pure performance dynamite, hugely confident and striking just the right balance between rock hardness and supple softness – and it’s in the latter that Kregar’s remarkably lovely velvety voice shines most sensitively. The second disc is more intense rock-wise, no less intimate, pulses with a good deal more rock energy, has an even warmer and organically richer sound, and the band shows off its tight cohesion even more, warmed up to just the right working temperature, at which the chemistry between the members sparks into life. An important weight on the scale is of course the fully invested crowd, who go especially wild for the band’s one-of-a-kind evergreen Zbudi me za 1. maj. That’s why it’s a real shame Mi2 didn’t release the whole thing as a double live album built on the Cvetličarna recording, with the recordings from »Izšetkani« and »Klub klubov« put out as a separate CD. However you look at it, it’s good that somebody came up with the idea of releasing this live document at all. In the situation we’re in today, every single rock release by any Slovenian act that »isn’t selling zucchini« counts!
That said, here’s the thing. No song is repeated when you compare the repertoire of the first and second discs, which is very handy, since Mi2 are no Led Zeppelin, and you couldn’t keep your nerves of steel while listening to, say, five different versions of Dazed And Confused or Moby Dick (even back to back).
Punk rock dressed in pure-blooded Slovenian melody, with just the right dose of catchy sugar-cube sweetness that works at any moment of the day and aims straight at the ears of the middle-of-the-road masses and radio rotation, is more than just a nice introduction for anyone who doesn’t know the band and wants to get in touch with the essential moments of the Mi2 discography as quickly as possible. But the band itself is surely proudest of »Decibeli«, since this is their first real full-length live document.
Lineup
Tone Kregar – vocals
Jernej Dirnbek – guitar, backing vocals
Egon Herman – guitar, backing vocals
Robert Novak – bass guitar, backing vocals
Igor Peter Orač – drums, backing vocals
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Boštjan Imenšek – guitar, backing vocals
Production
Drago Popovič
Track list
CD1.:
1. Črtica
2. Moja mila
3. Sveta Margareta
4. Ti nisi ta
5. Samo tebe te imam
6. Ljubezen pod topoli
7. Sve ove godine
8. Jebiga bluz
9. Najrajši sn pa s teboj pil
10. Pa si šla
11. Pojdi z menoj v toplice
12. Odhajaš
CD2.:
1. Štajersko nebo
2. Čakal sn te ko kreten
3. Pornoromantika
4. Zbudi me za 1. Maj
5. Sladka kot med
6. Ejsidisi Brigita
7. Haiku
8. Ko bil sn še mali pidzun
9. Brez obžalovanj
