Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Divje Jezero
Label: Celinka
Released: 2017
Running time: 50:44
Rating: 4.5/5
Divje jezero are a band of a kind you don’t find much of in Slovenia. These days, anyway. Alongside Tolmin’s Feedback, the valiant lads from Idrija are rare representatives of a genre that’s archaic today, one that hit its heyday in the seventies, when Return to Forever, Wheather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra rode the wave of commercial success, while Billy Cobham, Jeff Beck and Herbie Hancock ruled the roost with their studio feats. Back in the seventies we Slovenes had a solid base of musicians drawn to this kind of music too. There was Predmestje, there was Izvir. You could say that Divje jezero, together with Feedback, are the rightful heirs of both of those Slovenian bands. Well, Ljubljana’s Moonlight Sky tag along on that list too, with conditions, of course, thanks to their strong ethno/world music element, which you rarely come across in Divje jezero (so far, anyway), if at all.
»Pobeg iz blodnjaka« is the band’s second studio album in just two years, and they didn’t change a single member of the lineup between the two records. That’s a very good thing. On »Pobeg iz blodnjaka« too, Divje jezero stick to the tried-and-tested recipe that fired on all cylinders on their excellent debut, with one difference: »Pobeg iz blodnjaka« doesn’t roam between genres the way the debut did, but is much more focused and defined in style and sound (in terms of the band’s progressing musical vision itself). You could say that on »Pobeg iz blodnjaka« Divje jezero have defined their artistic musical vocabulary even more sharply, and the result is an album of strict jazz-rock fusion revivalism.
The band delivers another outstanding web of nine thoroughly dynamic tracks. For all the sonic density their musical landscape sketches out, Divje jezero express themselves mostly in soft pastel sound colors. Mainly thanks to the pleasant, unpretentiously seasoned dialogue between the woodwinds (clarinet, saxophone), the keys (electric piano) and the electric guitar. The guitar keeps a subtle, semi-acoustic, organic sound, but often doesn’t shy away from a heavily distorted tone either, which adds to the album’s rock moment, even though in the production the distorted phrases are rather tucked away and hidden behind the keys and the woodwind arrangements, instead of grabbing the sonic initiative and stepping into the foreground of the soundscape.
The leading motifs are cut up and interwoven with the superbly attractive, unbridled escapades of a highly contemplative dialogue in the rhythm section. There are sudden shifts in the main rhythmic patterns all over the album, and on those shifts, in all their wild playing abandon, Divje jezero always deftly land on the same wavelength of high performance cohesion. The band is incredibly tight, and what got them there was a long mileage of grinding, grinding and more grinding. The chemistry between the building blocks works flawlessly. So it’s no question that the band played the album »Pobeg iz blodnjaka« in the studio like a live gig and, as far as possible, in a single take. Like back in the days when you had to save on recording tape. In other words, in the days of analog recording.
The album embodies a strong element of spontaneity and unexpected twists, and in that respect Divje jezero respond in a progressive manner. Solo acrobatics from the keys, guitars and woodwinds deftly pass the initiative around within the songs, while the improvisational forms don’t bring excessive loosening or fragmenting of the compositions. Besides the lively and versatile drumming, the bass guitar work absolutely has to be singled out on this album too. Its active, dynamic resonance generates a warm, organic color. The bass lines are played with exceptional softness and feel, with a dynamic infusion of highly musical aesthetics, which is anything but an easy feat. These are complex structures that remain remarkably listenable, and at the same time the bass lines add the needed contrast and fill out the soundscape. Here and there it even throws down a funk groove (Žirafa).
Regardless of the lightness of the arrangements, which at the outset are always bound by a red thread of structured clarity, all nine tracks deliver nine complete stories, clearly defined musical characters. These tracks deliver a high level of expressive variety in their conceptual spread. On top of that, each track is built from several motif and rhythm switches and so offers an incredibly inspiring listening experience, because for all the complexity it keeps and nurtures a high level of musicality throughout, a musicality in which a highly playful performance core, a performance drive striving for technical flawlessness and perfection, keeps sparkling.
Divje jezero keep a cheerful, joyful nature. Moments of nostalgic longing that would bring in melancholy sentimentality are rare. One such passage in the composing is the track Marakeška tržnica, where an element of neoclassicism sparkles too, the kind that’s more heavily emphasized in progressive rock. The album can’t stand depressive or gloomy moments and feelings. The structures are, as already mentioned, sparklingly fun, ranging from optimistically lucid to playfully quirky, and through them you can effortlessly feel the incredible drive radiated by Divje jezero and their unbridled hunger to play. The lads simply enjoy what they do, and what they do, they also know how to do best (right now). With the superb music that »Pobeg iz blodnjaka« is once again full of, demanding listeners will be thrilled, especially music connoisseurs who can hardly satisfy their picky musical appetites. Believe me, with Divje jezero’s music there’s no half-heartedness, no mediocrity. This is a band striving for perfection in sound and performance. And there’s one more very important thing. Divje jezero play with the passion of unbridled emotions and a sparkling, wholehearted devotion to the musical magic their hearts beat for. And with their second album, the excellent »Pobeg iz blodnjaka«, Divje jezero remain firmly saddled on their very own musical throne, which hardly anyone in Slovenia (at least a little bit) resembles!
Divje jezero – recording the album “Pobeg iz blodnjaka” (official studio video, part one):
Divje jezero – recording the album “Pobeg iz blodnjaka” (official studio video, part two):
Lineup
Alen Bogataj – bass guitar
Luka Čibej – drums, percussion
Aleš Golja – guitar
David Križaj – keyboards, accordion
Tomi Peljhan – saxophone, clarinet
Production
Alen Bogataj, Luka Čibej & Aleš Golja
Track list
1. Pobeg iz blodnjaka/Escape From the Maze
2. Milano
3. Jutranji ples/Morning dance
4. Noč in dan/Night & day
5. Mornarska zmeda/Sailor’s Mess
6. Žirafe/Giraffes
7. Vzemi si trenutek/Take a Moment
8. Marakeška tržnica/Marakesh Market
9. Ob pravem času/On Time
