Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Novak, Aleksander
Label: Celinka
Release: 2015
Runtime: 26:43
Rating: 4/5
Aleksander Novak is a singer-songwriter from Koper who put out his second studio album in December 2015. The album »Do dna« deepens and widens the story left behind by his studio debut »Želel želela« (2012). For the new record, Aleksander gathered a team of top-notch musicians whose contributions give the album a distinct musical tint, and for polishing the arrangements he also found strong support in the seasoned producer Gabro Radojevič.
The album »Do dna« keeps, and really nurtures, the musical platform of the debut, in terms of its starting point and expressive direction. Aleksander Novak delivers an album that’s easy to get into, musically fine-tuned, and so singable that it crawls under your skin in no time. It courts the favor of radio frequencies, and I’d say it does so successfully and unobtrusively, with just the right dose of rock artistry and »polished« musical catchiness. The album sells the aesthetics of expression well, and in all that »sweetness« it never feels forced. It comes across as genuine and lived-in, full of passion and emotion. So what we have here is an easygoing rock album with a prominent pop component, and Aleksander and the crew keep working an art-rock touch into it, defined by a filigree, tightly measured weave of easily digestible but punchy arrangement strokes.
The album also flirts with world music (the extra vocal harmonies in the song Živet), and there are dashes of (Istrian) folk aesthetics, like the accordion arrangement in Mi smo ljudje. Even though the melodies often sound melancholically wistful, Aleksander does his best to approach his stories with optimism, which the opening title track Do dna already makes clear. With its strongly awakening charisma, he tries to knock on any listener’s heart right from the get-go. As he puts it himself, his life experience is rich and unique. That’s why he selflessly shares it with others in the lyrics too, and in the process keeps growing and maturing, spiritually and emotionally, into a better person.
The album has a refined organic voice, a natural complexion. The backdrop of the soundscape is built from a cunningly woven tapestry of ingredients, where the sounds of acoustic guitar, velvety warm organs and piano unpretentiously and unobtrusively join hands in a sensual, symbiotic relationship. They’re kept in balance and never usurp the vocal primacy of Aleksander, who stays front and center with his performance throughout. Eight tightly woven songs in the spirit of the axiom »less is more« are right here! They’re marked by well-crafted, compatible and atmospherically effective pairings of verses and choruses, with moods building gradually toward a crescendo in the chorus melody, where Aleksander goes hunting for radio catchiness. That moment stands out especially in the opener Do dna and the fourth track Našel sem jo tam. Aleksander pulls off a good dose of sensual haughtiness especially effectively with a soft approach to delivering the verses in Da bi and, right after it, in the mystically seductive Kako se počutiš, where the harmony of the backing vocals by Rudi Bučar and Lea Sirk adds a virtuous contrast. And the contributions of the backing crew, led by guitarist Robi Pikl, bassist Anže Petrović Langus, drummer Jure Rozman and keyboardist Boštjan Grabnar, definitely give him an extremely supportive backdrop. To round off the album, all it’s missing is one more upbeat track in the style of the opener Do dna, something with a higher decibel count to shake up the moods, because in the second half the album settles into complete calm.
The album »Do dna« is a slickly packaged rock product with refined art credentials, one that shamelessly flirts with the tight pop side of things and tries to hit the radio frequencies head-on. With it, Aleksander Novak has become a more mature, wiser musician than his earlier work suggested, and an even more exquisitely pure one in his pursuit of artistic aesthetics.
Line-up
Aleksander Novak – vocals, guitar
Robert Pikl – guitar, ukulele
Boštjan Grabnar – piano, Hammond organ, accordion
Anže Langus Petrovič – bass guitar
Jure Rozman – drums
Lea Sirk – backing vocals
Rudi Bučar – backing vocals
Production
Gaber Radojevič
Tracklist
1. Do dna
2. Živet
3. Mi smo ljudje
4. Našel sem jo tam
5. Drugačna sva
6. Da bi
7. Kako se počutiš
8. Več kot 1000 besed
