Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Dubzilla
Label: ZARŠ Records
Released: 2014
Runtime: 45:38
Rating: 4.5/5
Cross the holy Japanese reptilian »tiny tot« Godzilla with dub and what do you get? Dubzilla. A hard-hitting quintet whose musical premise swears allegiance to rhythms rooted in dub as well as roots reggae, while injecting that rhythmic compound with a whole palette of pastels from other genres, all of it culminating in a distinctive, homegrown originality.
»Dub Naturalis« is the band’s second album and digs deeper into the musical leads of the self-titled debut from 2011. Since that debut, »Dubzilla«, was seen as one of the most interesting and exciting studio »statements« to come out of the Slovenian rock underground (it earned all five stars on RockLine), expectations and anticipation for what its successor »Dub Naturalis« would deliver were huge.
»Dub Naturalis« no longer brings the same »sweet shock« and surprise as the debut did, which means Dubzilla carved out their strictly recognizable identity on the Slovenian alternative rock scene right from the start. »Dub Naturalis« is still an album full of sarcastic metaphors, and Dubzilla are boundlessly lucid here too, peddling biting mockery while caustically mirroring the modern-day findings of virology known as the »delusion of human civilization«. As expected, the tracks are a little longer again. They unfold in a laid-back way and with great feel, one the band can follow just as well when they »switch off«. They’re built on pronounced dub undulations and a kingdom of low-slung tones. Every track carries the word »dub« in its title, tied to an adjective that sums up its underlying message. The only exception is Zmagovita dirka. A lucid yet socially critical cut in which Klemen Klemen’s recognizable, booze-soaked, roughly hollowed-out vocal spares none of its rugged language. In this collaboration, his famous »rhythmic sermon« approach proved to work full-bloodedly with Dubzilla’s »musical multiplication table«. The album’s absolute detour. Boundlessly lucid and fun. But in the final tally, the message stays brutally grounded throughout.
»Dub Naturalis« is a more complexly conceived piece of work than the debut. Wonderfully likable in its exploratory streak is Dub Hunting Season, which keeps effectively changing form while staying compact (it doesn’t fall apart).. At the same time, the album gazes even more darkly inward than the debut did. It’s full of sampling, trip hop-style tricks of adding turntable recordings to the arrangement of the sonic backdrops, and both of these spices are woven throughout into tight curtains of guitar riffs and keyboards. The production is distinctly organic, warm, soft. Dubzilla build the atmosphere in the songs gradually. Round after round of repeating the chosen musical form (motif), they add one sonic layer on top of another, masterfully dramatizing and deepening the development of moods within the pieces. Despite the »twisting of sound«, the album keeps a distinctly organic complexion. Thanks to the dominant keyboards, which draw on the traditional sounds of rock’s golden age, including the recognizable sound of a dulcimer. In places the album, with its post-rock repetitiveness, even feels hypnotic. It can carry you off to a parallel world beyond the real (Nearness Dub). A world unique to Dubzilla. And that’s one of the band’s basic creative visions, which comes across as full-bloodedly convincing throughout. One of their winning aces that win you over in an instant. Frenetic outbursts are almost nonexistent on the album. One of the few comes from the sampled schizophrenic screaming inside the »breakneck« part of The Great Dubiator (toward the end of the track).
Despite its hypnotic introspection, the album’s layered nature makes it a tougher nut to crack. That means Dubzilla count as a distinctly experimental instrumental band, with no limits on their provocative surrender to new musical dimensions. »Zappa on dub«? The comparison isn’t that out of place. Since the album sprouts a heap of jazz seeds, fans of acts like Medeski, Wood & Martin, or even Beastie Boys in their instrumental varieties (the album »The Mix-Up«, 2007), should definitely check it out. If nothing else, occasional similarities in keyboard use, sampling tricks and touches of avant-gardism link Dubzilla with those two acts. For all that lucidity, Dubzilla of course also leave room for provocative, plasma-porn-flavored humor (a little Zappa moment), which the closing »teaser« Linda Love Dub embodies effectively.
I don’t want to ramble. The album is woven in layers, carefully designed, detailed. With exceptional feel. There isn’t a wasted move on it, and nothing’s missing. Dubzilla are a razor-sharp art outfit who know exactly what they want to serve up when they follow their musical vision. With »Dub Naturalis« they deepen their sense of homegrown originality and strengthen their position in the Slovenian music underground, which means Dubzilla count as one of the most brilliant and musically exciting bands around, full of offbeat musical ideas and pranks, constantly delighting with a tight, tangible substance. »Dub Naturalis« is an album you’ll be exploring for a long time. In its cerebral hypnosis it’s instantly infectious, while in the composing itself its complexity demands many more listens. All of this richly rewards the listener in the final tally, because there isn’t a single moment on the album that steals the listener’s time! Clearly, you have to catch the band on stage too. In the company of a carefully rolled joint of your favorite herb.
Line-up
Dejan Slak – keyboards, synthesizer, effects
Luka Švajger – guitar
Črt Zorko – bass guitar
Tomaž Rifelj – drums
Saša Serban – sampling, effects
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Klemen Klemen – vocals on track no. 4.
Simon Stojko Falk – scratch
Maša Slana – violin
Damir Jazbec – harmonica
Malala Tina Rakotorahalahy Serban – vocals
Production
Igor Vuk
Track list
1. Dublajkov
2. Kaly Dub
3.The Big Dubowski
4. Zmagovita dirka
5. Dub Hunting Season
6, The Great Dubiator
7. Nearness Dub
8. Linda Love Dub
