Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Mit
Label: Sedvex
Released: 2009
Length: 37:34
Rating: 3.5/5
Funny how fate plays tricks sometimes: the two main drivers of Mit, Matevž Pavčnik (guitar) and Uroš Petrovski (vocals), ended up joined by no fewer than three members of Lady’s First. Funny especially because the two bands are cut from completely different cloth. So the remaining trio adapting was a must for the album “Stik” to be born at all. Given the musical chops Miha Oman (guitar), Miha Plesničar (drums) and Aaron Cernatič (bass) had already shown in Lady’s First, switching from “more to less” wasn’t even hard for them, and they brought plenty of valuable musical experience into the band, too.
Mit build first and foremost on atmosphere. The idea is spot on. The guys cling to the basic “less is more” formula. Put plainly, in exchange for gelding the guitar solos, they’d rather stomp on that aggressive wah-wah pedal a lot more. The ideas are interesting, and musically Mit sound distinctive enough that you can say they’re a different kind of band in Slovenia. If I hint that “Stik” could easily be sold bundled with the next issue of RSQ Magazine, you can’t rule out an ambition for wider (commercial) recognition either. In Slovenia, of course, if only because of the Slovenian lyrics.
Mit lean toward the fashionable posture of the alternative. It sounds like I’m saying this inspired by your typical Slovenian politician, the average mayor and similar hacks of the nation, i.e. “everything and nothing”. Mit work through creating “volume in the sound” and a “groove” moment; you’ll be steered there inexorably by the flow of simply trivial riffs that spin up a backdrop curtain, which is really the bulk of the band’s sound. Against this curtain calmly leans the most recognizable element of Mit’s music. That’s the vocals of Uroš Petrovski, which are actually the first and basic argument for why we can start any debate about Mit’s musical recognizability at all. The guy has a deeper-pitched, manly, strong, authoritative voice, with a nice dose of melodic vibrato, which he uses to round off his verses and thus help develop the songs’ dynamics (that is, variety) and melodic color. The voice carries a special color and a distinctive expressiveness.
Mit are creators of typical Slovenian melancholy in atmosphere. You can’t miss that they’re Slovenes, just like you know “Petelinji zajtrk” is a typical Slovenian film. Even if light-years away, the chemistry of Siddharta clings to that same whiff.
This minimalism, or easy accessibility for the ears (a musically trivially conquerable album) combined with the pathos of the melancholic, will be especially appealing to the gentler sex. This trick could bring the band more recognition in the future.
In terms of quality, the songs don’t stray far from each other. They’re written with simple rhythms and a simple but massive riff, and what keeps them interesting is above all Uroš Petrovski with his special approach to singing. Moments that would have no trouble getting radio play are of course here. Standing out in that regard is especially the firecracker of a song Imolo Vesperi, where the band managed, in the most fitting way, to combine flow along the chorus/pre-chorus line, further accentuate the atmosphere of the (already) bold coexistence of vocals and riff curtain across the album, and, most importantly, deliver a melodically invasive moment to the listener. A song like Stik is a balladic change of pace on the album that doesn’t bring any step up in quality. Even though Uroš performs in an interesting duet with a female vocal, the song itself doesn’t draw much attention on the album. Mit are far more at home in the mid-tempo riff avalanche, where singer Uroš also pours a hefty dose of anger into his delivery. Songs like Maršali, Neskončen dan or Črni dež bring the band the bulk of its winning points. That’s the range where they work most powerfully. That’s the heart of the band’s essence, and they should hold on to it in the future, too. The ideas in these moments of the album work remarkably well; you can feel the guys know what they want and the vision is clear.
Going forward, the production needs more liveliness, or variety. In particular, the activity of the sonic mass of the riff wall should be emphasized, as should the melody of the bass line in its very “thickness”, and between the two, Uroš’s special vocal should be defined even more clearly, as it’s one of the band’s recognizable trademarks and worth keeping an eye on in the future, too.
There’s plenty of music on “Stik”. Mit are a band with big potential, and their debut “Stik” clearly points to it. They signal that they carry a talent for melodically compact craftsmanship, following a “minimal” recipe but dressed in the trendy “groovy”, voluminous garb of rich dramatic-atmosphere creation. These attributes are worth separating out and nurturing in the future, too. “Stik” has thus broken the ice, and let’s hope Mit caught a strong wind in their sails with it.
Line-up
Uroš Petkovski – vocals
Matevž Pavčnik – guitar
Miha Oman – guitar
Aaron Cernatič – bass
Miha Plesničar – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Maja Krušec – vocals
Renata Mohorič – backing vocals (I.C.E.)
Darja Drobnič – backing vocals (Rock Partyzani)
Mojca Zalar – backing vocals (Obduction)
Adrijan Novak – double bass (Beer Belly)
Špela Janša – violin (Beer Belly)
Grega Robič – bass
Production
Željko Mladenovič & Mit
Tracklist
1. Intro
2. Pošasti
3. Stik
4. Sence
5. Neskončen dan
6. Odisej
7. Črni dež
8. Maršal
9. Imolo vesperi
10. Mit
11. Stik (akustik)
