Artist: Melodrom
Label: Nika Records
Release: 2004
Melodrom first introduced themselves to the wider Slovenian music scene in 2002, when they played as part of the Klubski maraton, organized by Radio Študent, and I too first heard them live on Radio Študent.
Melodrom then made some noise again in the first half of this year, when they unveiled an intriguing video for the track Prenzlauer Allee. A video for September is coming in the next few weeks, and just these days their debut album Melodrom landed on the shelves.
Melodrom are Mina Špiler (vocals), Matevž Grad (guitar, programming), Polona Janežič (keys, which she also plays in Katalena), Matej Nolda (drums) and Miha Žargi (bass). Among the interesting guests, let’s mention Jaka Jarc, Igor Matkovič, Jelena Ždrale and Trio Godalika, while the producers were Iztok Turk and Jaka Jarc (who used to play bass in Sfiltrom).
The music of Melodrom is unusual, special, different. What they serve up on the record you can also hear from Portishead, BAST, Psycho-Path and Sfiltrom too. At its core it’s rock, with guitar or keys taking over the solo lines, the rhythms are often programmed, and quite a few tracks are enriched mostly with strings.
It’s also interesting that the lyrics are written in French (La Ville), English (Keep on, Prenzlauer Allee, Material Talk) and, of course, Slovenian. The closing remix of La Ville, contributed by Trio Godalika (where Jelena Ždrale also plays), is worth a listen too.
The songs are instrumentally extremely rich, full of interweaving layers, and quickly conjure up an intriguing, dreamlike ambient world. The tracks backed by programmed rhythms (Duet, Keep on, Prenzlauer Allee, Material Talk) are great to listen to, since they have mighty bass lines that further reinforce what’s played and sung.
That said, it’s really hard to single out any one track, because each has its own story, its own common thread and meaning, and at the same time each song is just a piece of the whole, which is of course the record, and which in its own distinctive way shows off the st(y)listic variety of the music Melodrom make.
And precisely because of this immense complexity, this isn’t music that wins you over on first listen. It demands attentive listening from the listener, to both the music and the lyrics, but seeing this fascinating band live will surely be very interesting too. So check them out – both the record Melodrom and the live show of Melodrom.
Lineup
Mina Špiler – vocals
Matevž Grad – guitar, programming
Polona Janežič – keys
Miha Žargi – bass guitar
Matej Nolda – drums
Production
Iztok Turk & Jaka Jarc
Track list
1. La Ville
2. Zasebne sobe
3. 5:15
4. Duet
5. Keep On
6. Prenzlauer Allee
7. September
8. Ne iščeva konca
9. Material talk
10. Predstava
11. La Ville Remix
Album length: 45.47
