Artist: Elevators
Label: ZKP RTV Slovenija
Released: 2012
Length: 56:46
Rating: 4/5
In mid-March 2011, Elevators’ tenth anniversary got a special marker: a concert recorded in an »unplugged – izštekani« version at the famous Studio 14, owned by RTV SLO, on Tavčarjeva in the middle of Ljubljana.
The acoustic makeover of the arrangements, special guests on vocals and other instruments, and a whole lot of laid-back fun hanging over the whole thing. That isn’t down only to the excellent acoustics and the warmth of the room where the recording came to life, but in large part to the characters of the core players themselves and their stirring musical talents, marked by seriously sharp expressive and performing chops.
Elevators are a special band. Its members are constantly busy with all sorts of musical varieties of their craft and can hardly ever find the time to get something new together in the studio, anything bearing the signature of Elevators artistry. So this album pretty much came as ordered for all of you counting the years and days to the third studio album, which »Izštekani« quietly announces with the new song »V aorto (počasi)«, released earlier this year as a separate single.
Cut off from the generosity of a classic recording studio, which might have spoiled them with plenty of options for manipulating the sound, Elevators found themselves that day in a place where wrong notes aren’t allowed. So the bulk of the sonic backdrop is built, in this bare, stripped-down acoustic manner, on Klarić’s piano, and Klarić’s playing also takes on most of the dizzying solo »fireworks«, which deepens the touch of jazz. At home in Studio 14, it gets far more intense than on either of the band’s two studio releases so far.
Sergej Ranđelovič implants a masterful density of rhythmic textures throughout the record, and the interpretation of Elevators’ music takes on a whole new dimension in this respect. Not only is the experimental jazz fusion side more strongly emphasized, but this mischievously playful rhythm also acts as a fixative for bringing out the world music element. When that happens, it most often takes Elevators into Latin territory. Those moments are caught in Orao Javi se, Še je cejt (with a »Gypsy« solo from Robi Pikl), and then in the closer – as the title of the song Brasilica already hints – as well as in the song Polna luna.
Vocally, Elevators spiced up this album mainly with three guests. First is Aphra Tesla on the song Mucek (written in collaboration between Aphra and Elevators), second is the track with Josipa Lisac – Živim po svome (taken from the studio album of this tireless Croatian art pop diva), and third is Na krilih ljubezni with Tinkara Kovač. Never mind the high reputation of the chosen guest vocalists. All three female voices are expressively powerful and each carries its own recognizable character. Be it Apra Tesla’s sharp "bark", or, in melodic terms, the best-defined union of Tinkara’s vocal with the adventurous experimenting of the song Na krilih ljubezni, where the song’s development is also very fittingly carried by the addition of Tinkara Kovač’s »Jethro Tull-ish« flute. Josipa Lisac’s guest spot came about almost by itself, since Jani Hace also worked on her latest studio album. The chemistry between the extravagant singer and Elevators’ lucidity flowed to the fullest, and in this vein Elevators could easily, as a backing band, record a live album full of her hits with Josipa.
That said, the vocal songs that work best and flow most smoothly are the ones where the lead vocals are taken by (occasionally swinging) Robi Pikl and/or Sergej Ranđelovič. That’s where Elevators’ charisma comes through in full! We shouldn’t judge the album »izštekani« so harshly and rigidly when it comes to the use of vocals, since this isn’t a studio album but a live one. It’s an album packed with fun, one that, in its elementary density of tangibly bubbling and super elastic expression from multifaceted, well-versed musicians, radiates the very core of a demand for full expression of free-thinking ideas.
The emphasis on percussion and the generous helping of piano push the feel toward jazz, while funk, for its part, has ducked down a bit in a setting like this. Back in this acoustic setting, Elevators sparkle as they serve up that sense of wryly sarcastic cheek, you could even say wholeheartedly infectious mischief, which is a rare trademark among Slovenian bands. And that very element brings most of the musical specifics that define the quartet’s overall art identity. So, guys! It’s time for your third studio album!
Lineup
Robert Pikl – vocals, acoustic guitar, ukulele
Sergej Ranđelović – vocals, drums, percussion
Davor Klarić – piano, toy piano, ukulele, backing vocals
Jani Hace – bass ukulele, backing vocals
Guest musicians:
Jospa Lisac – vocals (8)
Tinkara Kovač – vocals, flute (11)
Aphra Tesla – vocals (5)
Janez Dovč – accordion, backing vocals (9)
Blaž Celarec – percussion, drums (9,10)
Production
Elevators
Track list
1. Orao Javi Se (Oj, Sokole)
2. UFO Race
3. Hišni Ljubimec
4. Še Je Cejt
5. Mucek
6. Prva Pomoč
7. V Aorto (počasi)
8. Živim Po Svom
9. Skuoči, Skuoči
10. Žulejne j Krmpjir (hitro)
11. Polna Luna
12. Na Krilih Ljubezni s Tinkaro
13. Brasilica
