Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Big Foot Mama
Label: Nika Records
Release: 2018
Running time: 43:19
Rating: 4/5
The long-lived Ljubljana quintet Big Foot Mama are back on the scene after six years that have flown by insanely fast since the release of the album »Izhod«, this time with their new, eighth studio album overall, »Plameni v raju«.
Six years is a good stretch, and in that time the guys collected a heap of solid musical ideas for thirteen new songs, which they pulled together in line with their by now well-established musical track record, serving up yet another typical BFM studio album. More mature and richer for new experiences and insights, Big Foot Mama keep their recognizable musical face and character. In harmony with that, they constantly (and this goes for the new album too) »remind« the listener that as musicians they keep maturing and honing their craft, which you can easily hear in the deft way they set up punchy, quick-igniting rock tunes that know nothing of complication, with the band skillfully drawing on its almost internalized feel for short, concise, simple arranging moves. Rock’n’roll is a simple thing, and getting to that simplicity is sometimes harder than it looks. Well, Big Foot Mama don’t have that problem. Their new songs get to the point fast, and they’ve got that trivial melodic predictability, that catchiness and energy charge, and that “groove” that »grabs you right away«.
Whether Big Foot Mama would ever dare to challenge themselves and shake up their musical track record with a bit of (any) musical experimentation always remains an option, of course, but the band will most likely never go for such a move. So. Don’t expect an album from BFM that revolutionarily veers off their staked-out musical vision, which would actually be great fun and very interesting, but one of the biggest and most recognizable rock bands in Slovenia, with a pile of released and beloved evergreen hits, hasn’t needed to prove anything for a long time now. So no musical adventurism, but Big Foot Mama could always pull off a concert tour in the company of similar, compatible bands from the Balkan Peninsula, such as Zagreb’s Psihomodo Pop, or (if we keep romanticizing) open a show for, say, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks or The Who, which of course will never happen here.
»Plameni v raju« boasts excellent production, which is of course »Pak-style«. The man with the “hockey surname”, Žarko Pak, remains a proven, reliable choice for the band, and the band by no means turns down such a fruitful collaboration. The sound is live, dynamic and extremely boldly contrasted. Steržaj’s bass digs in and contrasts with warm dynamics against the guitar drive of both guitars, which deftly dress up individual parts of the songs with minimalistic but masterfully placed transitional flourishes, while simple yet distinctive solos in the mid-eight passages keep the band’s classic rock’n’roll pose. The album ranges from fast, adrenaline-soaked rock assaults, like the opener Plameni, Vrag v njej in the middle, and Nekaj je v njej in the second half, to mid-tempo numbers, which guarantees a wave of shifting moods across the record. The ending of the album is especially interesting. Particularly once the album »rolls« up to Sijaj, which is inspired by the legacy of Motorhead (funny enough, Motorhead wrote a song with the same title, found on their famous album “Another Perfect Day”). BFM haven’t forgotten the acoustic moment either, delivered by Pot do sonca. The closing Zlati stolpi Indeina also stands out, and even George Harrison would perk up his ears at it (especially from 1966 onward). But even in moments like these, BFM keep their clearly recognizable, very own rock’n’roll character, to which Skočir’s unmistakable vocal pose adds that obligatory cheeky punk swagger.
The compositions hold on to a cunning musical catchiness, and given that they carry the band’s vision of musical artistry into new times, it’s not hard to conclude that the new songs will complement the iron repertoire of their live shows superbly. »Plameni v raju« is thus yet another really nice, high-quality record from the band, one where they once again deftly put their tried-and-true musical recipe to work. With it they comfortably (and leisurely) camp out in an artistic “status quo” position, which guarantees them a firm spot at the front line of Slovenian »mainstream« music.
Lineup
Grega Skočir – vocals
Daniel Gregorič – guitar
Zoran Čalić – guitar
Alen Steržaj – bass guitar, backing vocals
Jože Habula – drums, percussion
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Davor klarič – keyboards
Andraž Mazi – chaturangui, erhu, tres
Mitja Vrhovnik Smrekar – strings
Žarko Pak – “weird sounds”
The golden stupas of the Indein temple (Burma) – little bells
Production
Žarko Pak
Track list
- Plameni
- Jezna na ves svet
- Temna sila
- Normalen
- November
- Vrag v njej
- Raj na zemlji
- Vabilo v maj
- Nekaj je na njej
- Sijaj
- Sanja se ti ne
- Pot do sonca
- Zlati stolpi Indeina
