Label: Celinka
Release date: December 2011
Producer: Jernej Kržič
Album length: 42.29 min
Genre: Indie Rock / Art Pop
Rating: 9.0 / 10
Neomi are yet another band that we can safely file among those who should be building a healthy Slovenian musical “mainstream” — if musical enthusiasm and an “honorable fight” between bands, where the only thing that counts in the contest is the quality of expressing your own artistry, called the shots there instead of money. I’m living in an illusion, aren’t I? Those who spent their “teenage” years in the sixties or seventies would surely disagree with me. But let’s step away from reflections on the developmental stage of human civilization in 2012 and talk instead about the debut of Neomi called “Poglej”.
The septet builds on completely clean, organic soundscapes. Neomi don’t overcomplicate things. Their thing is stringing together sound collages of simple melodiousness, short and tightly played strokes with a relaxed character that hooks you right from the first listen. The songs are extremely short, often barely clocking in at three minutes. Take Temno modro, for example, which ends with a jazzy guitar solo, even though there’s easily enough room in the composition for at least one more run through the chorus.
The first thing that grabs your attention in Neomi’s music is the distinctive voice of singer Saša Vipotnik. Her timbre has a doll-like, childlike quality that can come across as “honey sweet,” but it also pointedly underlines the fragile innocence and spotless, yearning note that such a voice lends to the songs’ expressive language. Saša’s voice works brilliantly in a completely organic soundscape, because in that kind of musical setting the sensitive side of the vocal expression is magnified even more. The sensuality in the sophisticated delivery of the verses sparkles especially intensely in a song like To bitje, where Saša’s voice is practically “naked,” accompanied only by piano. That very “nakedness,” together with a melodically superb catch in the chorus, is the key to the album’s closing stretch hitting so intensely and sensitively! If it’s not piano, as in the calm Poglej, which spreads the message “live and let live,” then it’s the warm embrace of a “Hammond-like” organ sound, in Luči so ugasnile. The songs follow a compact verse-chorus structure, with hints that lean toward jazz, blues and chanson (Luči so ugasnile). But that’s not a given. And that’s exactly why Neomi’s music is so interesting: right from the debut “Poglej” it carries a clear note of recognizability — let’s say “otherness” instead. The title track is the ideal example, bringing together under one roof all the hallmark traits of Neomi’s music. That is, a bit of their own artistry and influences drawn from jazz and blues.
Where does this otherness come from? First and foremost, no doubt, from the excellent work of the chorus melodies, which grow out of the specifics of the lead vocal’s expression (the opener “Čudovito” already wins you over on that front). “Razglašeno” is the kind of song you can’t stick anywhere, in any genre pigeonhole. The band squeezes out an exceptional melodic character especially in the chorus, while the guitar uses the space freed up in the accompaniment role to great effect, giving the song a special charm with tight, simply placed moves and just a few decorative notes. It’s precisely this unpretentious guitar playing with simple tricks (like the cosmetic “Floydian Gilmourish soundscape” in the chorus of Odpri oči), flexibly making the most of the backdrop of the sound, that builds up, alongside the lead vocal, the band’s trademark individuality.
Another especially distinctive moment on the album is the song “Opica”, where the band put the bulk of its expressive power into shaping rhythmic textures, which it even reinforces with extra percussion in the chorus. “Opica”, along with the song “Začarana”, is the kind of composition that’s perfect for radio rotation. It nicely combines listenability with the originality of the band’s sharp artistry, all steered by the distinctive vocal performance of singer Saša Vipotnik.
The album’s generally dreamy, laid-back but deeply sensual character gets a jolt from the funk-jazz-tinged “Začarana”, where the active playing of a fretless bass also sneaks into the warmth of the sound. This is the kind of songwriting we Slovenes are good at. Especially the musically schooled ones. Fusing jazz and rock, or jazz and funk (as in “Začarana”), has always come easy to us. The flugelhorn and the added dialogue between the backing vocals and the lead vocal in the chorus, create a moment on the album with a really special mood and art feel. “Začarana” is one of the finest proofs of the band members’ multilayered musical education, their broad musical intellect, and their flexible, sharp-minded search for different ways of delivering musical information — from a band that, first and foremost (and this is the most important part), doesn’t hide a big talent for musical expression.
Neomi are oddballs, in a good way. Already with their debut they’re developing their own recognizable musical voice. You can certainly pick up on cues of jazz, blues and soul, as well as an element of chanson, but that’s typical of the music scene where many Slovenian bands try their luck. Neomi are an extremely strong band when it comes to melody. The lead tunes sound “Slovenian” but different, which gives the band that art element and sets them apart from other Slovenian bands, the ones that only manage successful imitation and consequently lose their character in a sea of generic sameness. Neomi are a band you absolutely have to check out. The debut “Poglej” is a collection of easygoing songs with such a clear streak of originality that it’ll grab your attention whether you like it or not. It’ll be interesting both for those of you who are demanding listeners and get hooked by even the slightest shifts in tonal nuance, and for those who don’t overthink it and just want something that clicks “right off the bat”.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Čudovito (03:42)
2. Opica (04:50)
3. Brez besed (02:51)
4. Poglej (03:31)
5. Luči so ugasnile (04:31)
6. Razglašeno (03:27)
7. Odpri oči (03:38)
8. Temno modro (03:28)
9. Deklica v ogledalu (04:15)
10. Začarana (04:52)
11. To bitje (04:09)
Lineup:
Saša Vipotnik – vocals
Erik Marenče – keyboards
Tadej Košir – guitar
Jernej Kržič – bass
Anže Žurbi – drums
Urban Sever – backing vocals
Katja Sever – backing vocals
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Miha Koretič – acoustic guitar on track 3
Jan Štangelj – cello on track 9
Igor Matkovič – flugelhorn on track 10
