Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Papir
Label: Celinka
Release: 2010
Duration: 44:45
Rating: 3/5
Papir are a Slovenian band that strives to make music that’s easy on the ears and palatable to the majority of citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. It’s a crew of highly polished musicians with a refined feel for sophisticated interpretation, as well as for crafting finished compositions with a clearly marked verse-chorus setup. Super accessible to lay ears and insidiously catchy. From the very first listen.
Most of the time the songs blend jazz, Latin and blues elements. The result is a collection of cabaret chanson and friendly pop-tune-smithing that picks up precious little artistry of its own, and hardly any tangible substance of its own character. For the most part, Papir’s approach is learned composing, the fruit of music schools and universities and of following the well-trodden staves that count as the textbook bible. With the exception of the track 2010, which might spark some interest among fans of Panda or Tabu, everything else on »Po viharju« is highly predictable stuff, serving up once again the one and same musical story that’s been served up for decades now.
The album »Po viharju« boasts an excellent sonic structure. The production is exceptionally sophisticated and sensitive, full of breath, and the elements coexist in perfect balance within the soundscape, talking to each other with the charm of true dynamics. Sonically the album feels organically alive, real and tasteful as hell. There’s no hiding behind effects, and the feeling you’re left with after listening is as if the crew were playing a gig in the studio. That confirms once again that Papir really are fully versed musical performers. The song structures are of course built first and foremost so that the vocal roles of Ana Bezjak and the now former Papir member, the famous Maja Keuc, suit them best, and so that their supple, soulful R&B-soul-pop reach is optimized as effectively as possible within the musical arrangement created for it. If I single out just one track from the album, say Lepo mi je s teboj, it’s a seductive waltz of rhythmic brush-sweeping that makes you switch off the light in the room, light a little candle and sweep your girl into a dance step of an unforgettable love whirl that’s already knocking passionately on the door of a night without end. The whole album can be declared a supremely handy prop for romantic courtship.
A very pleasant album, but one with precious little challenge to the musicians’ creative selves. The one that has to smolder inside every musician, that is. “Po Viharju…” mostly offers cautious steps down the already thoroughly trodden path of generic, established molds. Surely fans of Sade, Ray Charles or Tony Bennett will find something to like in what Papir do. Of course, the sentiment of the Slovenian melos of traditional pop culture is woven through it all, from the days when the Slovenian popevka flourished with arranging insight and left behind a heap of evergreen compositions Papir can only dream about. But these are new times, so we shouldn’t be unfair with comparisons toward what is otherwise a thoroughly credible debut from Papir.
Still, it’s nicer to listen to the technically polished songs of »Po viharju« at every moment of our dial-surfing across many Slovenian radio stations. Even if Papir bring nothing new to the scene, it’s far better for the whole album »Po viharju« to be spinning on the airwaves than to tease the innocent ears of the Slovenian masses with the cheapness of a musical bluff that ruins the taste of the Slovenian mainstream. The cult evergreen classics of the legendary Janko Ropret, Majda Sepe, Elda Viler and Ditka Haberl will rub shoulders quite painlessly with the songs of “Po viharju…”, whenever the latter land on the playlists of radio DJs.
As for the band’s future, it’s hard to expect Papir to dig deeper and look for an artistic character of their own, for which the track 2010 offers a nice starting point. Most likely they’ll keep sticking to the generic templates of the debut »Po viharju«. In other words, they’ll make quality music, but with no art-level standouts. But let’s give it time.
Lineup
Ana Bezjak – vocals
Maja Keuc – vocals
Bruno Domiter – drums
Sebastijan Duh – piano
Tadej Kampl – bass
Igor Bezget – guitar
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Boštjan Gombač – vocals, whistle (track no. 4)
Tomaž Gajšt – trumpet (track no. 7) and flugelhorn (track no. 2)
Vasko Atanasovski – saxophone (track no. 10)
Production
Rok Vilčnik & Sebastijan Duh
