Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Sounds Of Slovenia
Label: Celinka
Released: 2014
Duration: 38:28
Rating: 4/5
Yes. We Slovenes can be a team nation too. Janez Dovč, the lead protagonist and ideas man, the visionary behind the »Sounds Of Slovenia« project, managed to get over 30 musicians on board, all of whom, one way or another, have drawn creative inspiration throughout their careers from the melos of traditional Slovenian music. That means their own discographies are firmly tied to the heritage of the Slovenian folk song as well. A seemingly complex idea had an easier road to realization than you’d first think, since the musicians involved in the project are names who know each other very well. And have for years. In the past, these players were linked through bands or various art projects, forever chasing new musical challenges. These are seasoned musicians and artists who have left a lasting mark on the Slovenian scene through their work in bands like, among others, Katalena, Jararaja, Manouche, Katice, Siddharta, Elevators, Fake Orchestra, Brina, Silence, through collaborations in the Big Band RTV Slovenija, or who are acclaimed soloists and, of course, singer-songwriters too!
Sounds Of Slovenia came out last November as a »garlic disc« (ČeDe). It came in 200 bags of garlic (grown in Slovenia the organic way) with a code you can use to pull the album from the web. Of course, the release has been available online all along as a paid »download«, only you’ll have a hard time getting your hands on the garlic packaging by now. Stock has most likely sold out. Around mid-February this year, Sounds Of Slovenia also got a face on vinyl.
The first four tracks on the album were recorded in the studio, while the other four come from a live performance at the Lent festival in Maribor in 2012. The Lent show also served up rich visuals. Looking over the tracklist, you honestly aren’t all that surprised at first glance, since you keep reading the titles of the beloved, practically-folk-by-now standards of the Slovenian folk music legacy. Because they get passed down from generation to generation, these songs have gone through all sorts of transformations. Adaptations and covers are especially popular these days, not least because of the interesting results they produce, the successful experiments in crossing Slovenian folk melos with other musical genres! The musicians lean mostly on the free-spirited philosophy of jazz »soloing«, and on the other hand enrich the backdrop with symphonic arrangements. The songs often take on a whiff of chanson. »Sounds Of Slovenia« thus delivers eight standards of Slovenian folk music in new packaging! Fresh, different and (for that very reason, once again and then some) utterly appealing!
From Istria (Tamo doli poli mora) to Prekmurje (Zrejlo je žito) it’s probably a short hop, but even the smallest geographic shift across our little country brings an incredible colorfulness, which the character of Slovenian folk melos can proudly claim as its own. That’s the first element, right from the starting point driving the variety among the eight tracks. The second element, deepening that contrast, is the choice of vocal soloists. These are proven names, namely Eva Hren, Brina Vogelnik, Vesna Zornik, Aphra Tesla, Rudi Bučar & Marino Kranjac, the female vocal ensemble Katice, Metod Banko and mezzo-soprano Irena Preda, who with their vocal quirks and polished expressive character breathe a special, one might even say unique and thoroughly self-willed stamp into the songs. And then there’s the attentive musical ear for the fine mechanics of detailed arrangement across all eight tracks, with Janez Dovč’s visionary mind behind it. The constellation of musicians on the album works as an orchestra in a shared collision of the chosen arrangements, while the folk melos shows itself through the substance of a chanson Frank Sinatra would have loved to hear (Ko psi zalajajo), in the recognizable vocal pose of Metod Banko (Silence). Then there’s the sly, eccentric vocal dossier of Aphra Tesla (Pleničke je prala), and the tender, fragile Zrejlo je žito, swept away on wings of stunning melancholy by the exceptional mezzo-soprano of Irena Preda, in an atmosphere mid-»eighth« flipped upside down by Pikl’s almost Floydian guitar moaning. Eight songs, eight complete wholes. No dips in quality. Everything is crafted with exceptional commitment and care. A roster of extremely talented and experienced instrumentalists livens up the arrangements with solo spots, and one of the first names in that regard is once again Vasko Atanasovski with his universal collection of woodwinds (Lepa Vida); in Tamo doli poli mora you can’t overlook the role of Goran Krmac’s tuba, which gives the song a special stamp alongside Bučar’s vocal essence, while in the sped-up Pleničke je prala you recognize Hace’s ever-active and supremely flexible bass line.
The contrasts are extraordinary, the elements that build the overall sonic density coexist in symbiosis, and the distinctive vocal characters of the lead singers add that essential dot on the »i« that gives the album »Sounds Of Slovenia« its stamp of absolute uniqueness, even though it draws on a universal musical language conceived many centuries ago on the sunny side of the Alps.
In short. If you’re after a provocative smashing of taboos and set forms, sparkling this time in a masterfully repackaged exploratory excursion called »Sounds Of Slovenia«, you’ll be thrilled with this achievement, while all the »ethnologists« and »heartfelt« lovers of Slovenian folk melos surely have this release in their collection of favorite albums already.
Lineup
Aphra Tesla – vocals
Eva Hren – vocals
Irena Preda – vocals
Katice – vocals
Metod Banko – vocals
Rudi Bučar – vocals
Vesna Zornik – vocals
Brina Vogelnik – vocals
Marino Kranjac – vocals, bagpipes, violin, mandolin
Boštjan Gombač – clarinet, flute, backing vocals
Davor Klarič – keyboards, Hmmond
Goran Krmac – tuba
Gregor Budal – clarinet, backing vocals
Gregor Volk – backing vocals, violin, guitar
Irena Zdolšek – zither
Janez Dovč – accordion, “Rhodes” keyboards
Jani Hace – bass guitar
Luka Ipavec – trumpet
Nina Volk – oprekelj (a type of “hammered” dulcimer)
Nino Mureškič – percussion
Robert Pikl – guitar
Rok Štirn – trombone
Sergej Ranđelović – drums
Tomaž Gajšt – trumpet
Vasilij Centrih – violin
Vasko Atanasovski – saxophone, flute
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Jelena Ždrale – viola
Miloš Simić – violin
Tamara Gombač – cello
Akademski zbor Tone Tomšič – choir vocals
Production
Janez Dovč
Track list
1. Oblaki so rdeči (feat. Eva Hren) (04:31)
2. Lepa Vida (feat. Brina Vogelnik & APZ Tone Tomšič) (05:25)
3. Šla bom na goro (feat. Vesna Zornik & APZ Tone Tomšič) (05:18)
4. Pleničke je prala (feat. aphra Tesla) (04:00)
5. Tamo doli poli mora (feat. Rudi Bučar & Marino Kranjac) (03:46)
6. Da bin znala (feat. Katice) (04:31)
7. Ko psi zalajajo (feat. Metod Banko) (03:46)
8. Zreilo je žito (feat. Irena Preda) (07:14)
