Artist: Bališ
Label: Self-released
Released: 2010
Rating: 4/5
Six whole years have passed since the last studio album from Bališ, the Carinthian Austrians with Slovenian roots, titled “Jutδr bo moj” (2004). Six long years. Six years of musical, mature, artistic transformation. Bališ have grown themselves a “new nose” (the new album is called “Novnos”).
The album, with its meaningful title, really does mark a complete musical makeover for the sextet. If the supremely bold “Jutδr bo moj” presented Bališ as a wild rhythm n’ blues adventure, steeped in old-school rock principles, “Novnos” is a new chapter on the band’s evolutionary path, and the only common denominator with the past is creative “independence”, or let’s rather say “distinctiveness”.
“Novnos” ditches the old-school principles and heads into trendy indie rock territory. With the new album, Bališ also become more accessible to Slovene speakers in the mother country. They pulled that off by partly giving up singing the verses in the authentic Obir dialect, which is now replaced by something that even feels close to Ljubljana slang (Moj ša la la). The name Žare Pak says a lot about the band’s transformation. Bališ now build on a rich sonic backdrop of trendy, smeared-out, alternatively roaring guitars, which at the same time is richly backed by the organic sound of acoustic guitars and the occasional use of velvety Hammond organs.
At the same time, they’ve signed up to the category of wistfully melancholic bands. Bališ left behind that sparkling, sarcastic approach the “Jutδr bo moj” album was full of. Even the album opener, “Vse na nov'”, is special and throws the listener straight into the band’s new artistic direction. It’s the only ballad on the record, and it introduces the band’s new singer Norbert too. Normally a ballad doesn’t exactly find its place as an album opener, but Bališ decided otherwise. Norbert carries that sweet, melancholically yearning vocal with a clean delivery, which mostly “grumbles” a little but doesn’t bite. Tailor-made for indie. Then comes one of the album’s strongest moments. In fact, this is where the album really gets its wings and the wind in its sails! “Moj ša la la” kicks off with a smashing guitar riff that fleetingly recalls the opening of the latest studio album by Britain’s Porcupine Tree, but only for a few bright seconds of intro “crunch”, since things soon start tipping in favor of the Slovenian take on rock music. Bališ are edging toward a new musical direction that could even win over fans of the notorious Siddharta.
Of course, the band’s new musical outfit stirs up all kinds of (manifold) feelings on the record. “Moj ša la la” is without doubt one of the album’s most successful moments. Right with this track Bališ prove they understand the word “atmosphere” and know how to build a convincingly rich, vibrant mood that comes across as dark, even eerie. Bališ have skillfully blended a weave of natural-sounding sound collages with the occasional pinch of sharp-witted cosmetics of trendy programming (“Moj ša la la”, “Heisse Mutter”, “O5”). “Črno-bel film” is also a continuation of the on-target indie rock direction of “Moj ša la la”. Bališ don’t just “blast away” left and right. In the verse, with short and punchy moves, they build an unobtrusive but juicy “ambientalia” around Norbert’s centrally placed vocal. If it hasn’t happened before, you’ll be sucked in and won over by the dreamy, lost-in-thought “Dej prste stran”, where the dark mood is intense as hell. A big contribution to that mood comes from the vocal approach, which at times seems almost extraterrestrial, neotenic, absent and “beyond the tangible”. Norbert has an exceptionally beautiful timbre. His articulation can’t, not for a moment, come across as annoying. His vocal expression shows tremendous power in “Prav ton”, where subtlety and a deeply felt sense of immersion sparkle even more.
Here’s the category of proper trendy indie tracks, like the excellent “Prav ton” with a bit of the glitter of new-era U2, and the mellow “Šnops” doesn’t escape it either. The track “O5” has kept a smidgen of the sarcasm the band’s earlier works were full of. The chorus is built in the manner of post-Britpop rockers Kaiser Chiefs or Franz Ferdinand.
And Heisse Mutter? The absolute outlier of the album. The only song sung in German offers something for everyone who feels at home with the melos of bands like Rammstein. The melos of the melodies, especially in the chorus, follows some similar lines. German is certainly the element that carries a big share of the flirtation with the melos of the famous German industrialists. But you absolutely have to keep in mind that Bališ approach building the atmospheric backdrop in a completely different way, without a hint of the quirks that would smell of industrial music mechanics. The last track, “Živ’ tvoj dan”, also stands out on the album. It feels like the most classically rock-minded one, and what’s interesting is the subtly woven touch of world music, created by the singing of female choral harmonies. This is actually the track that keeps the most points of common expression with the band’s past works.
A track like “Za svet naprej”, which with all its compatibility deftly keeps the Obir dialect, set into a wonderfully structured melody with a great link between verse and chorus, a perfect trendy indie rock engraving, is one of the cues the band could build on and develop its musical expression on future releases. The band’s strength is that the guys know exactly the “less is more” principle. This principle now brings to the rock horizon a band that has more than successfully come through a phase of complete transformation, kept its distinctiveness, and at the same time stepped onto a new creative path of indie rock springs, so in tune with fashion’s whims that it’s no longer hard to picture the new Bališ at any moment as the opening act for U2 or Coldplay.
“Novnos” is an excellent studio album. A quality, fresh, modern-sounding indie rock album, put out by a wise band full of experience and know-how. It’s more than obvious that this time the guys found themselves on the same wavelength in their wish to change their own musical expression. That expression has kept its “distinctiveness”, so we can talk about success, and about “Novnos” as an exceptionally lovely achievement that, with its delicacy and insight, can reach deep under your skin.
Lineup
Norbert Bališ – vocals
Davorin Bališ – guitar
Dani Bališ – guitar
Jozej Bališ – keyboards
Izi Bališ – bass guitar
Marko Bališ – drums
Production
Žare Pak
Tracklist
1. Vse na nov’
2. Moj ša la la
3. Črno-bel film
4. Prste stran
5. Prav ton
6. Heiße Mutter
7. Šnops
8. O5
9. Za svet naprej
10. Živ´ tvoj dan!
