Izvajalec: Tide, The
Založba: Kulturno društvo Izdaja
Izid: 2006
Currently one of the most progressive and promising Slovenian bands
The Tide was sadly “marked” even before the record came out, all because of a slightly awkward choice of name. Around the same time, a band called Tide started breaking onto the scene too, and they had a somewhat nastier management behind them, one that wanted to stir up some kind of feud, mostly through the media, which (luckily for Slovenian music) didn’t drag in the musicians themselves. Those of us who’ve heard both know full well that there are differences (and that the difference isn’t just “the” in the name) and that they’re obvious.
The first thing worth pointing out about ‘Love & Trust’ is definitely the sleeve. The undersigned is lucky enough to have gotten his hands on the limited edition, so I simply can’t walk past it. Funny, I thought at the time, there are young rock bands in Slovenia releasing their music on vinyl too? Then, like in the good old days, with a trembling hand and a rush of excitement, I pull the inner sleeve out of the cover, unfold it, face the lyrics, an interesting picture and… well, I’ll be damned, a CD. You can separate it, without ruining the splendid and original sleeve, and tuck it onto the shelf with the other CDs that deserve repeated listening.
You tuck it away, of course, after you’ve heard it once and gone looking for pigeonholes and parallels… you listen again and the picture is clearer, sharper, and you can’t help but put it on at least one more time. The record is genuinely good, excellent even. The best thing about it is that it’s only after repeated listens that you start discovering the finesse and those little details that separate above-average records from merely very good, average, decent ones…
Out of eleven songs (and a bonus track), you’ll be hard pressed to find a bad one. Shorter or longer, they stick out from the mold… above all decisively guitar-driven, sometimes surprisingly piano-led, here and there topped off with strings, organ, female backing vocals… very dynamic and richly instrumental, with a unique delivery and a wonderfully resolute voice. The production deserves special praise (the work of the band’s bassist Dejan Osterman and the other members), because they’ve created the whole sonic picture exactly the way a demanding listener could only wish for. Everything is in its place – drums (Martin Pogačnik) with bass (Dejan Osterman) behind them, although the bass guitar delivers some excellent transitions and the combo often cranks up the rhythm, keyboards (Drejc Pogačnik) for completion and breadth, acoustic and electric guitars (Janez Šter) on one hand providing the full overall instrumental structure and of course the solo parts, and fused with it all, the voice of Tomaž Štular. The individual elements complement each other and merge into an extraordinary whole that practically bursts out of the speakers and into your ears.
At moments it felt like I was listening to a dramatic, intimate and unpredictable Nick Cave, and then in the same song or the next, the whole thing can turn into a complex Pink Floyd, made for the most demanding and attentive listeners. I’m not exaggerating, The Tide are that polished!
And if I’m drawing parallels, I’d put The Tide, for their progressiveness and huge potential, right alongside Siddharta in the mid-nineties, Shyam in the late nineties and even a few Psycho-Path. A band that will sadly probably keep fighting its way through Slovenian clubs, yet already deserves a shot at bigger stages beyond our northern and western borders. And I wouldn’t be surprised if in five years plenty of young Slovenian bands want to sound like The Tide!
Lineup
Tomaž Štular – vocals
Janez Šter – guitar
Drejc Pogačnik – keyboards
Dejan Osterman – bass guitar
Martin Pogačnik – drums
Tracklist
1. Whirl Of Time
2. On Your Way
3. Desire
4. Stay Out Of My Place
5. Carry On
6. Cosmic
7. Your River Wild
8. Steps Of Silence
9. Bitter Dream
10. Whisper
11. Pop Soul
