Artist: Kraški solisti
Label: Radio Študent
Release: 2009
Rating: 2/5
Kraški solisti, or Art Ansambl of Sežana as they call themselves, are a trio of music zealots who don’t stick to any musical rules whatsoever. Given that description and all the other glowing comments about their music, my expectations for the release of the album Ustanove sreče were sky-high too. But even before I got around to dissecting their debut, their gig at Metelkova had already prepared me pretty thoroughly for what was coming.
On stage, the guys with their genetically modified instruments (one looks like a plucked chicken) and their hopping from one instrument to the next undoubtedly look impressive, but the album doesn’t even have that going for it. All you get is their sonic assault with no real ideas behind it. I’m a fan of “weird” and experimental music, but not everything that hides behind that label is gold. Some call their approach Dadaism, which is undoubtedly a fitting vowel.
Kraški solisti are like a stray bullet. You never know where the next sound is going to come from, and running into them is usually a painful experience. They torture their instruments so much you actually feel sorry for them (the instruments, that is). Out of their gear they squeeze all kinds of squeaks and squeals, and every now and then something that vaguely resembles notes. You could say they stick to their own musical aesthetic and deliberately defy established norms (much like the Dadaists). These so-called Dadaists are at their most concrete with some harder rock rattling, where their deliberately out-of-tune strafing occasionally even produces something resembling a tangible idea, but before long they’re back to their tireless version of musique concrète.
The guys play an enviable number of instruments on the album, but how many of them they actually “play” is another matter. Keyboards, wind instruments (some homemade), brass, percussion, keyboards (organ, piano), bass, guitar, drums – everyone plays everything and nobody plays anything.
If I wanted to be nice, I’d say these gentlemen are ambitious, but almost too much so. It wouldn’t hurt them to be a bit more down-to-earth and, for a change, play at least something that resembles a melody. As it is, I’d say this is music for students who already know this isn’t the “right” week to head off to campus, because there are still too many weird mushrooms and bits of weed left in the apartment that won’t turn themselves into a consciousness-altering experience.
If Kraški solisti keep going like this, we’ll never know what they’re capable of, since they rarely squeeze any “clean” sounds out of their instruments, the kind that would fill you with confidence that these gentlemen can actually play. I don’t care whether they wander into more improvisational waters or more compositional ones, but I’d like to hear at least something with some continuity and fluidity. As it stands, all we’ve heard from them so far are chopped-up chunks of musical madness.
Lineup
Andrej Fon, Martin Ukmar, Samo Pavlica – pihala, tolkala, trobila, brenkala, klaviature, glasovi
Production
Kraški solisti
Tracklist
1. 800 os
2. Med borovimi prelci
3. Bluz minuz
4. Paradižnikova mezga
5. Lepota
6. Prekoračnica
7. Rok ‘n nog ‘n glav
8. P(iskanje)
9. Okusposkus
10. Hotel konec
