Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: El Kachon
Label: Celinka
Release: 2016
Length: 26:22
Rating: 4/5
El Kachon are a hardworking, enterprising band. The dust has barely settled on their second studio album »Permanently Lubricated Nuts«, and they’re already back with the follow-up, which they’ve titled »Svet dovoljenih laži«. That’s simply the world we live in: if you’re resourceful, you’ll succeed because you know how to lie the right way (in the »civilized« world, success is measured by material wealth)..
On their previous two albums, the band had already flagged an exceptional talent. El Kachon aren’t just a collective of superb musicians; they also have a refined inner instinct for writing songs that are, in the same breath, instantly commanding and memorable in their musical payoff, while showing the remarkable coherence in performance and the mutual awareness that rule in this camp.
Even though »Svet dovoljenih laži« is officially the new studio album, it’s almost better understood as an EP. There’s only 26 minutes of music on it, and three of the tracks are reworked versions of songs from »Permanently Lubricated Nuts« with updated arrangements, while the rest are new originals. The band decided on a partial transformation of its image. The album is recorded entirely in Slovenian. The previous two came with English lyrics. The result? Musically, and for the radio airwaves, »Svet dovoljenih laži« is the most pleasantly defined product of the band’s career so far. Especially once you make your way to the third track Samo dotik and the fifth, Odpoved. These half-ballad, »bubbling« numbers, where singer Tina’s extremely convincing, soulful delivery really comes to the fore, slip straight into your ear. They could spin on the radio at any moment without a hitch, and the band has already put that to the test with Klic and Ples zagrnjenih zaves, which came out as lead singles. The songs carry the band’s recognizable charisma, defined by Tomi’s distinctive way of dressing up the lead motifs with guitar harmonies devoted to the blues, specifically infused with »slide« touches.
Opening track Zbudi se is actually the album’s only up-tempo number, built on rock’n’roll foundations. The solid riff »drive« of both guitars is held together by the chunky sound of a Hammond organ, while the rhythmic framework gets shoved into a coquettishly lively »groove«. A tune that fires up brilliantly in the album’s opening spot. Overall, the album’s rhythmic culture is richly backed up by the integration of percussion, which gives the songs a special touch. The band as a whole sounds incredibly tight and confident; you can feel that the members have known each other for a very long time, that they breathe as one in everything. The album has an exceptionally warm, organic, highly dynamic production. It pulses with life, as if the band had played it live in the studio, modeled on a concert performance. The building blocks of the sonic picture are perfectly merged and woven into the band’s musical body.
I can conclude that the swap of English for Slovenian has been a complete success. With the new album, the band has kept its authorial stamp and its recognizable musical character, which draws inspiration from the likes of The Allman Brothers Band, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and also Lynyrd Skynyrd. »Sved dovoljenih leži« is thus something of a turning point in the band’s career. The songs show the maturing of the band’s songwriting character, which, for all its effort and hard graft, deserves the full attention of the Slovenian music public.
El Kachon – Klic:
Lineup
Tina – vocals
Tomi Perinčič – guitar, vocals
Andrej Barbič “Krt” – guitar, vocals
Mileta Grujić – keyboards
“Sondža” – bass guitar
Žiga Dobravc – drums
Primož Malenšek “PimpS” – percussion
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Neža Buh “Neisha” – keyboards on track 7
Nenad Patković – keyboards on tracks 2 and 6
Borut Perše “Hefe” – acoustic guitar on track 7
Mitja Novak – lap steel guitar on track 7
Production
Dejan Radičević
Track list
1. Zbudi se
2. Črna kot noč
3. Samo dotik
4. Svet dovoljenih laži
5. Odpoved
6. Klic
7. Ples zagrnjenih zaves
