Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Same babe
Label: Založba Pivec
Release: 2014
Running time: 37:02
Rating: 4/5
Same babe, a sextet that builds its musical dossier on tongue-in-cheek sarcastic but always down-to-earth preaching through the theater of »different« chanson, has finally put out an official document this year. It’s a socially critical mirror of life in our fair, »unblemished« little country, full of the little guy’s servile eagerness to please a handful of »vassals« who exploit that kindness without limit and keep the mostly »starved« plebs firmly on a chain.
The premise of the album is, of course, strong lyrics, and front and center stand the vocals, the vocal choirs and an interpretation of the verses focused first and foremost on a deeply lived-in delivery of the message. That’s the band’s royal flush, the thing that animates the listener, wins them over and carries them off into a world of special artistic experience. Intro aside, »Dobri možje« is quite an extravagant slice of musical cake and demands a lot of attention. It won’t catch fire at all if you start nibbling at it from the end or the middle. Once you pop it into the CD player, it has to be devoured in one go. From the first second to the last. Anything else is out of the question. The melodies are a mix of Slovenian folk melos heritage, hooked into genre detours toward rock (Gospodarji – you can even catch some Zappa principles here), funk (V kleti… / obešena Tončka), and on to blues, even swing and acoustic boogie, so the result is a musical oddity born of the artistic vision the band cultivates. The band’s little vocal choir, for example, turns harmoniously into the heartfelt warbling of nightingales in the a cappella take on Pomlad. The album’s 18 tracks, then, deliver a lasting and varied blend of ideas.
Of course, there are also tracks on the album that come close to radio-friendliness (Dobri možje, Skladba o Beti). In all the lucid form of lyrics that speak head-on (no hide-and-seek), there’s plenty of room for a sense of bitterness. Same babe deliver messages that vividly paint the misery and glitz of the reality of our everyday lives. So, mission accomplished. The guys adapt their vocal delivery with committed subtlety. It stirs up all sorts of feelings. The vocals can sound serene, solemn, then biting and caustic the next moment, or full of heavy-handed whining (Gospodarji, Repa, korenje). The dose of vocal grimacing is extraordinary. As said. Everything on the album »Dobri možje« rises and falls on the vocals and the way they’re interpreted.
Given that the album includes tracks from different periods – the oldest recording goes back to 2006 – it’s clear the concept for »Dobri možje« developed over a long time. The crew of musicians has a fully formed vision and knows exactly what has to go where when arranging the compositions. Atmospheres and moods turn step by step through the tracks. From tense theatrical drama moments to relaxed farce and everything in between. Despite the occasional banality of already-heard, repackaged melodies in the tunes, it’s precisely in that banality that the expressive power lies, the very thing the band wants to get across at a given moment (Zjutraj ptički prav lepo pojo). The concept also finds a fitting place for a reinterpretation of the Slovenian folk song Franček silni, which Andrej Šifrer also covered long ago on his 1983 record »Nove pravljice za otroke in upokojence«.
Even though the album puts the power of vocal interpretation and the deeply lived-in delivery of its messages front and center, messages that with such reach have to effectively move the spirit and emotions of the listener, the musical accompaniment isn’t always »innocent«. True, it’s subordinate and really works as a sort of fragile, light wrapping around the vocal arrangements, but its contrasting role matters for the tracks to grab you the way they’re meant to. You’ll notice it right away in the modest »makeup« of kazoo accompaniment and simple guitar phrases in Moj šef, which is followed in a similar format by Dobri možje, enriched with the rhythm of a leisurely horse ride in the lead melody.
Same babe have no close relatives when it comes to comparisons with other Slovenian acts. The content of »Dobri možje« might catch the attention of those who know, say, the work of Nula kelvina, and, by some distant association, the newer Melanholiki as well. The album is in fact more than half recorded live, which adds to its charm.
The cover is striking. It depicts an age of castrated men ruled by female dominas. So it’s a world of nothing but babes in the truest sense of the word. In the packaging (the cover design) and in the content hiding beneath it. Hand in hand. A concept so incredibly well thought out that it’s exactly why it touches the listener so convincingly and shakes the ground under their feet. Still, hanging out with Same babe and »Dobri možje« works most intensely when you face them at a live show.
Lineup
Miha Nemanič – vocals, harmonica, tambourine, shaker
Marko Voljč – vocals, trumpet, tambourine, shaker
Marko Jelovšek – vocals, double bass, guitar
Uroš Buh – vocals, bongos, drums
Matjaž Ugovšek – Ugo – vocals, guitar
Viki Baba – vocals, guitar
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Maja Marovr – vocals on track no. 14
MPD Človek in Duh – backing vocals on track no. 18.
Borut Činč – keyboards
Production
Borut Činč
Tracklist
1. Idila
2. Aplavz spodbude
3. Moj šef
4. Dobri možje
5. Kapitalistu kazal tiča
6. Zjutraj ptički prav lepo pojo
7. Repa, korenje
8. Pomlad
9. Cigaretna pesem
10. Franceljna nihče nikoli ne zafrkava
11. Franček silni
12. Gospodarji
13. V kleti … / Obešena Tončka
14. Balada o Beti »Blue« F.
15. Zares krvava najava
16. Zares krvava pesem
17. Aplavz navdušenja
18. Franček FF (Rave On!)
