Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Relight
Label: Alkemist
Release: 2012
Duration: 57:17
Rating: 4/5
Relight are a fresh Slovenian alternative rock outfit with a strongly pronounced art vector that gives them a completely distinctive, one-of-a-kind nature, or let’s just call it a unique, authorial character of musical expression. The band formed in the autumn of 2010. It features seasoned musicians from, among others, Zlatko Kavčič Kombo, Same babe and Zaklonišče prepeva. Relight build their »musical concept«, as we’d say in plain speak, in such a way that their well-tuned compositional moves always leave enough room for the end result to sound »a little different from everything else« – distinctive, in other words. At the same time, the band keeps the album’s motifs consistent and its flow dynamic. There’s no room for the »confusion« or »mess« that could come from flirting too deeply with the trap of experimentation. That would mean picking »quirky«, incompatible solutions in the arrangements that would needlessly fragment the content and make it harder for any listener to push through to the heart of Relight’s musical sermon.
Only one other band comes to mind in Slovenia right now that has also gone its own way, and they’re very art and very excellent in every respect. Kranj’s The Tide. You can’t pigeonhole them anywhere; they come across as eclectic, free-spirited, »tangible«. Fresh. At times deeply sensitive. The same goes for Relight’s debut. Short, clearly crafted moves. Unpretentious, relaxed, sometimes soft and fragile too. But at the same time richly seasoned in the details, which shows the band members’ perfectionism. Alive, organic and juicily interwoven. On Evermore there’s a wonderfully beautiful symbiosis of all the building blocks, which create a gorgeous ambience for the vocals, so they can deliver all the emotions (the intimate ones too) with feeling and subtlety, at full potential, and convey the poetry as authentically as possible. The album’s production is brilliant, and with it Relight sound very trendy on »Evermore« and very, um… Yes! On »first-listen feel«, in an »American« melodic vein.
Relight are far from a »trivially« solvable musical »puzzle«, and that’s exactly why they’re so appealing. But they’re by no means too demanding for the average listener. »Evermore« is a multilayered musical blend. Tracks like Invisible Dancer and Soul Babies, with the color of their vocal harmonies and the well-tuned melodies of their tunes, pull toward listening lessons from The Eagles, America, The Doobie Brothers… Oh boy! Where have we sailed off to in 2012, huh? And that’s only a good thing. We can talk about a mild shade of folk music »American style«, which is so cunningly disguised that it only surfaces at select moments on the album (the colorful harmonizing of the chorus melodies, as in the aforementioned Invisible Dancer). Otherwise, »Evermore« works in a generally alternative rock way. But Relight also know how to stretch out to the point where an element of experiment lays itself bare in individual songs, as in Soul Babies or the guitar-rock-driven Yearning Song. They stick to a »pure« sound, building an organic soundscape, and in that kind of ambience the impressive voice of singer Uroš Buh fits in perfectly, pouring oil on the fire of the band’s eclectic character with his approach. His »vibrato« moment in falsetto sounds mysterious, carries a touch of melancholy, and builds on the otherwise dark atmosphere hanging over »Evermore«. His voice is tailor-made for grunge and post-grunge bands. That’s confirmed above all by the deeply sensitive Sail On Me, which is one of the album’s most beautiful creations all on its own.
That’s why »Evermore« will be a hugely interesting record for those of you who consume everything from post-grunge bands to newer Pearl Jam, all the way to the Croatian, eclectic »groove alter metal« oddballs Father! Parallels with R.E.M. and other »jangle«-sounding bands are possible too! With all these comparisons thrown out there, Relight still carry a musical charisma all their own. And that’s the point! With a cornerstone like the one the band lays with their debut »Evermore«, it’s clear that, unless higher powers or the hand of fate step in, this band will bloom artistically and develop in a completely distinctive way, richly enriching the Slovenian music scene, which is desperately short of healthy mainstream, in fact doesn’t have any. »Evermore« is also a document that can compete with the world! The band has to be aware of that and try to get their original music through to the ears of at least Western Europe, the United Kingdom and North America.
Lineup
Uroš Buh – vocals, guitars
Mario Babojelić – guitars
Andrej Škoberne – bass guitar, backing vocals
Blaž Remic – Hammond, Rhodes, piano, backing vocals
Vid Drašler – drums
Production
Rok Podbevšek
Tracklist
1. Need
2. Invisible Dancer
3. Soul Babies
4. 4. A.M.
5. Evermore
6. Sail On Me
7. Golden Blue
8. Yearning Song
9. Shapes And Lines I
10. Shapes And Lines II
11. Love Immortal
