Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Siddharta
Label: ZKP RTV Slovenija
Released: 2007
Rating: 4/5
“Izštekani” is an audio-visual record of Slovenia’s most successful rock band, captured during the group’s appearance on the legendary Val 202 show Izštekani. What more can you even hope to achieve on Slovenian soil if you’re Siddharta? The album “Izštekani” may not be the crown of the just-released mega “Maraton” box set, but it’s definitely the scepter in the hand of a king, who, together with the release of “Maraton”, is wrapping up a hugely successful 2007 for the band. They picked up a Viktor, scored an MTV nomination for best act in the Adriatic region, and kicked off another intense tour in support of the album “Petrolea”. That tour was capped in the best way possible by the October show called Maraton, with the entire studio material played live, where else but in a sold-out Hala Tivoli.
If you ask Jani: “So what made you do “Izštekani” a second time in eight years?”, you’ll witness one of the immortalized dialogues on the DVD of this release, which kicks off something like this: “We wanted to…” A wish! Who wouldn’t want a band like Siddharta playing in their living room?!
Siddharta is a business (in a good way) that deserves all the respect and whose approach can be a great role model for their fellow Slovenian musicians. They tackle every project in a thoughtful, mathematical way, and as experience with Siddharta has taught us so far, it always works out for them. We’re talking about the Slovenian market niche, of course. That’s how they ran “Izštekani” (click here to order!) and later Maraton too, which also comes in gigantic packaging and, given its specs (4CD + DVD), is a must for every fan of the band and for everyone who lived through that famous marathon at Hala Tivoli with them.
But let’s get back to the content of unplugged Siddharta, let’s call a spade a spade, because what we’ve got here is Siddharta stripped down acoustically! Switching to acoustic is, at least where rock music is concerned, a pretty tough skill, not easy to master, and that’s exactly why getting a grip on it can be a deliciously challenging prospect for a band. The music has to be adapted, which means certain sections need to be better and more clearly defined. After all, we know “žmljtv unjpljučt”. And Siddharta pulled this experiment off too. Damn well pulled it off, if we’re staying on solid ground and not talking in superlatives. What we’re witnessing is an excellent acoustic version of Siddharta’s material, backed by Jani’s bass, which he likes to call “The Beatles bass”, while Tomaž’s elegant strolling across the keys of Hammond organs and Rhodes synthesizers stands out. Throughout the material, the transformed yet still recognizable Siddharta magic works as a real balm for the ears, nostalgically captured in the song Eboran! The end effect while listening isn’t far from flirting with that famous gloomy rock vision of destruction à la Riders On The Storm (The Doors). Cene’s saxophone finds more room too, there’s Buco (Sausages) spicing up the sound on percussion, and of course Godalika, who follow the band confidently as they read and saw through their notes. Let’s save the ending for the end. The vocalist is Tomi and Tomi is the vocalist – the unmistakable Siddharta figure, in other words. The guy takes a bit of freedom, takes new lines in the verses, and in certain spots his approach comes out even more confident and convincing than we’re used to! So, fresh, but there’s still a little reserve where, as a singer, he can refine and level up even further in the future.
We’re talking about a work released on disc, played in one room, in one moment, with no overdubs, etc… Here you can see and hear how far the band can reach, how much room it can currently handle and use, and how much room it still has! You can really feel the energy flowing between the guys as they play the songs. And there’s something else you feel! These guys are all too aware that every already acoustically “stripped” song could be played differently, even more subtly, stringing together new moods, which confirms that the band is riding on the wings of a high collective spirit and a desire to keep exploring the Siddharta phenomenon itself. Is the zenith of the band’s artistry just around the corner?
Siddharta have also delivered professional packaging for the product, and you’ll find you can pick from no fewer than five different covers. One more friendly tip while we’re at it. The musical inserts were recorded for audiophiles, which means extremely attentive listening is recommended, on a quality sound system of course, which will instantly open up the third dimension of Izštekani for you.
Lineup
Tomi M. – vocals, guitar
Cene R. – saxophone, ewi
Primož B. – guitar
Tomaž O. R. – keyboards, programming
Jani H. – bass guitar
Boštjan M. – drums, percussion
Production
Siddharta & Žare Pak
Track list
CD:
1. Ring
2. Mr. Q
3. Neon (Shusuglao)
4. Eboran
5. Naiven ples
6. Klinik
7. Napoj
8. Male roke
9. Homo Carnula
10. Samo Edini
11. Autumn Sun
12. Le Mavrica
13. Siddharta
DVD:
1. Ring
2. Conversation
3. Mr. Q
4. Neon (Shusuglao)
5. Eboran
6. Conversation
7. Naiven ples
8. Klinik
9. Napoj
10. Conversation
11. Male roke
12. Homo Carnula
13. Conversation
14. Samo edini
15. Conversation
16. Autumn Sun
17. Le mavrica
18. Conversation
19. Siddharta
