Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Matematika
Label: Nika Records
Release: 2018
Length: 32:45
Rating: 3/5
Slaviša Stojanovič is a former head coach of the Slovenian national football team who, let’s be honest, didn’t exactly cover himself in glory as Kek’s successor in the job, but let’s leave that aside. Maybe a lousy way to open, but when you add it all up… Maybe Slaviša is just too much of a democrat. In music too, after all. At least that’s what his music project »Ma7ematika« hints at.
Why? Because he can. The man likes music, you see, so he composes it and writes the lyrics too. He also likes to grab a guitar and sing a bit. Commendable. Apparently, even in Slovenia a visible connection to the football business is always welcome, so Nika Records quickly took Slaviša under its wing, and he lured an entire garrison of Slovenian music celebrities to guest on the album, while pushing a few slick studio legionnaires into the background, the kind who can rescue any idea, however »puzzling«, for any album you like and turn it into something you can actually hold.
It would all be great if, on this debut album, Slaviša had held onto or managed to express even a speck of a recognizable authorial voice. So what ails this record is a lack of real musical vision, that art focus that gives you the pedigree of a distinctive voice, let’s just call it insight. Maybe that’s asking a bit too much of Slaviša, but still. »Ma7etamika« is really a genre compilation spanning everything from rock’n’roll to pop. Vocalists we all know and who need no introduction each bring their own stamp to their own track and take the lead. They dominate the songs. They do their duty with the expected class. There are quite a few cases where the songs are arranged in such a way that, with a bit of tweaking, they could belong to the home bands of the vocalists on this album. Hence the feeling isn’t far off that »Ma7ematika« sounds like a collection of tracks that Big Foot Mama, Avtomobili or Siddharta forgot to record over the course of their careers. Probably precisely because there are far too many guest superstars on the album, and because Slaviša mostly shows up only as the author of the music and lyrics.
The one song that feels a touch special is actually Que Pasa, placed toward the end of the album, where its alternative-rock affability and pop musicality deftly tangle with Borut Marolt’s vocal turn and Trkaj’s rapid-fire recitals. The album runs a solid half hour, with two more instrumental time-thieves tacked onto the tail, the first of them, SKA, sounding like it was recorded with a drum machine in 1997, with an extremely metallic tone and utterly sly bass lines. More like an extra demo on the record than anything more serious.
Of course everyone involved will say it’s all okay and that they all enjoyed the project. Even the casual listener will swear everything’s fine when they hear a record that also has serious potential for radio rotation. The songs really do stand up, the way they should. But, true to the title, strictly »mathematically«. They also carry production warmth and a properly contrasted balance in how the building blocks of the sonic picture are laid out. In terms of songwriting, this record is »mathematically« good. So by no means wrong, it just chronically lacks charisma and originality, as I said. It comes across more like a compilation of tracks that recognizable Slovenian acts never managed to record in their careers. Too much democracy, in short.
Lineup
Slaviša Stojanović – backing vocals, acoustic guitar, guitar, all music and lyrics
Grega Skočir – vocals on track no. 1
Tomi Meglič – vocals, drums, percussion, programming on track no. 2
Marko Vuksanovič – vocals on track no. 3
Tomislav Jovanovič – Tokac – vocals, backing vocals on track no. 4
Helena Blagne – vocals on track no. 5
Matevž Šalehar Hamo – vocals, bass guitar on track no. 6.
Anja Rupel – vocals on track no. 7
Borut Marolt – vocals, backing vocals on track no. 8
Trkaj – vocals on track no. 8
Peter Dekleva – guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, percussion, programming, backing vocals
Mirko Vuksanovič – keyboards on track no. 3
Aleš Klinar – keyboards on track no. 7
Nikola Matošič – double bass on track no. 7, bass guitar on track no. 8
Gregoir Plevik bass guitar on track no. 9
Pika Žorž – cello on track no. 9
Klemen Stojanovič saxophone on tracks no. 8 and 9.
Urban Krč – drums, percussion
Marjan Starič – vocals on track no. 9
Production
Peter Dekleva
Tracklist
1. Balkon
2. Napačen čas
3. Včasih
4. Mesto
5. Tattoo
6. Daleč stran
7. Dežne kaplje v Parizu
8. Que Pasa
9. SKA
10. Mila
