Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Siddharta
Label: Nika Records
Release: 2016
Rating: 4.5/5
Siddharta is a band I can say with a clear conscience is the leading force on the Slovenian music scene. In 2015, the famous quintet put out two new studio albums, six months apart. First came »Infra«, which landed in June, and »Ultra« followed before the year was out.
With that, the band marked its first twenty-five years in a very concrete way back in 2015. On both of these latest studio albums, they served up the best they know how to do and are capable of right now, and at the same time they reminded the critics once again that the quality of Siddharta’s artistry is a constant, and that the band’s sound and style are still evolving. That last point is really the essence of every field of artistic creation.
»Infra« and »Ultra« are sister albums, practically Siamese twins in terms of expression, so having them share the same carrier makes perfect sense. It’s actually a no-brainer. If »Infra« was seen as the album that, after the somewhat hastily made »VI« (2011), brought the sentiment of the old days back into the band’s artistic voice (there are quite a few tracks on it that could easily have found a home on the band’s first three albums), then »Ultra« added a breath of stylistic and sonic experimentation to the band’s otherwise familiar artistic recipe. With the band’s decision to release both albums on triple vinyl, the celebration carries on into 2016. On the back of that first »25-year stretch«, the band members also decided to shoot a new video, for the song Do konca (you can watch the whole thing below).
The band’s idea to stretch out the celebration of their first twenty-five years seems right on the money for several reasons. The first is surely that the move keeps Siddharta relevant and, as a result, present in the media. The second is that the guys tried something completely new in their career when they took on this project. The third is that a vinyl release is, if not entirely new, then at least a noticeably different story from the original CDs, even though the music on the triple vinyl stays basically the same, meaning it’s »added up« in an identical track order. A bit more math: the first three sides of the triple vinyl, that is A, B and C, belong to the album »Infra«, while the next three sides, D, E and F, hold the entire album »Ultra«.
For the vinyl (re)issue, all the material from both albums went through a sound remaster tailored to pressing on vinyl. Word has it the band members rejected the remastered recordings twice, because they were not at all happy with the results. Mission accomplished. The songs react considerably differently in the new sonic environment than on the CD version. On the surface of the vinyl remaster, some nuances and shades of the arrangements come through that weren’t as noticeable in the CD version’s soundscape, or that came across differently when you listened (reacted differently on playback). The main discovery in the new sound is of course the organic warmth, which gives the release naturally colored tones. Above all, the »bottom end« of the sound picture is richer, meaning the impact of the low tones and the coloring of the low end of the spectrum. The bass lines in particular get much more emphasis, gaining more volume and wider space in the mix, and along with that the drums hit harder too.
All in all, the new sonic coloring leads to a greater »groove« hunger and to newly contrasted, accentuated moods and atmospheres. Tomi’s vocal, as the only »organic instrument«, also sounds even more organic in its expression, and his emotions »grab« you even harder in the passionate delivery of this excellent vocalist, even though the vocal sits deeper in the arrangement of the instruments themselves in this new setting. At the same time, the core of some other arrangement details becomes more noticeable too, for example in the way extra vocals come in. The guitars sound fatter and fuller. Not only do they hold up their end of the balanced dialogue with Tomaž’s keyboards more effectively, they also often take the lead in building the wall of sound behind the music.
So the conclusion is that this triple vinyl is basically a must for every fan of the band, and if you’re a true audiophile and, of course, if Siddharta’s style suits you down to the ground, you won’t even think about getting the CD versions. I know for sure that from now on, I’ll only be spinning both albums on vinyl. At the same time, the band’s decision to release both albums on vinyl for their twenty-fifth anniversary is a beautiful tribute to their fan base. That’s Siddharta’s famous perfectionism, going »do konca«, all the way!
You can read the RockLine review of the album “Infra” (2015) HERE.
You can read the RockLine review of the album “Ultra” (2015) HERE.
Siddharta – Do konca (official video):
Line-up
Tomi M. – vocals, guitar
Primož B. – guitar, backing vocals
Tomaž O. R. – keyboards, backing vocals
Jani H. – bass guitar, backing vocals
Boštjan M. – drums
Production
Dejan Radičević
Track list
LP INFRA:
side A
1. Dios
2. Do konca
3. Onna
side B:
4. Ledena
5. Da Sedere
6. Phatyuppie
side C:
7. Diamanti
8. Love Love
9. Piknik
10. Gianna
LP ULTRA
side D:
11. Volk Q Ovce
12. Premladi
13. Nastalo bo
14. Flip
side E:
15. Calvi
16. Dolga pot domov
17. Terminal
18. Korakamo
side F:
19. In Levitation (feat. Umek)
20. Strele v maju (feat. Urban)
21. Road (bonus – Siddharta Crew)
