Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba
Artist: Xaxaxa
Label: Moonlee Records
Release: 2011
Length: 26:49
Rating: 4/5
Young Macedonian hopefuls who are neither all that fresh and new nor musically innocent – the band XAXAXA (which in Slovenian means HAHAHA) are anything but a bad joke or a novelty with a short shelf life. The dynamic trio from the Macedonian capital Skopje is a well-oiled indie machine that has until now been forged and drilled in the ranks of Bernays Propaganda, and that well-established connection with the band has this time sprouted a completely fresh seed of punk rock fun – in a loud and unpolished alternative way, of course. XAXAXA are damn serious about winning over your hearts and souls and follow the proverb that he who laughs last laughs best, but since the name is what plants at least a smidgen of doubt and cynical reserve in unsuspecting listeners, we had to grab some fresh buns from the Moonlee label and give in to a sprinting half-hour address from the notorious threesome.
The record Tango revolucioner probably draws plenty of its inspiration from the wells of creativity of their alter ego, Bernays Propaganda, except that this time they’ve dropped the female vocals and trimmed the lineup down to the bare minimum of players, who can still serve up a punchy racket in the most effective way. It takes two to tango, and this time the listener is courted by ten simple, easy-on-the-ears songs whose sonic landscape nods to authorities like Hüsker Dü, Dag Nasty, Rites Of Spring, Wipers and a heap of similar nonconformists. The result sounds like a pretty retro, colossal attack on your senses, and the flashy, danceable, addictive rhythms have no intention of tormenting you with pointless complications or unnatural tonal acrobatics. The second half of the eighties and the early nineties served up plenty of recipes like this, which, like something out of our moms’ and grandmas’ magic cookbooks, still work damn well. The reference point is the Dischord label’s catalog, and you can pick the names to drop yourself.
Staying true to the Macedonian language, to sharp-witted lyricism and to criticism of modern times, they voice the lost generations on the soil of the former common homeland, as well as political corruption and the lack of compassion and care for our fellow humans, weaving an energetic string of dazzling, uncompromising musical rebellion against everything listed above. Xaxaxa are a loud opposition to mindless, passive surrender to fate, and their juicy lyrics reflect the full verse of Kosta Solev Racin, one of the greatest Macedonian poets. The walls of language differences can be bridged, you just have to put in a little effort listening to this rather colorful record. And if we don’t dig into the lyrics, the fairly solid, treble-heavy production lets you slip into a realm of total musical surrender to playful verses and choruses, recorded without needless overdubbing or production fiddling. From December last year to February this year, the band’s bassist Nenad Trifunovski captured that feeling of liveliness on tape, and the fact that the final touch on the finished sound was put by a band member gives the record a whiff of full-on sincerity and DIY beauty. And across the ten-track set there are no snags or big swings in nuance, which makes it sound like a thoroughly lovely musical backdrop for a house party, or for listening while hunting for constructive inspiration to solve the seemingly unsolvable problems of this damn everyday life.
Tango revolucioner is a fresh, energetic and positively naive record that, without a single weakness in its belly, gives birth to a thoroughly decent projectile in Moonlee’s increasingly refined arsenal of surprises. What adds extra value is the fact that these youngsters haven’t fallen for Americanization, mentally or linguistically, and stay true to their own roots. Cultivating the audience with a punchy combo of Macedonian and garage salvos of guitars, drums and bass is therefore completely natural, and doubters can only be reassured by this excellent little disc and can from now on erase the geographical pigeonholes – the language of good music can, regardless of genre labels and lyrical narratives, be only one. With their excursion into the world of punkishness, Xaxaxa have fully confirmed their command of the craft, and more than that: the name notwithstanding, they’re the lucky ones who get to laugh best, and with a convinced audience and listeners, only they themselves can. Let’s hope we’ll soon get a confident follow-up to this rather promising step into punk puberty by the male half of Bernays Propaganda, and that this isn’t just a short-winded, short-lived experiment.
Line-up
Vasko Atanasoski – guitar, vocals
Nenad Trifunovski – bass
Đano Kuć – drums
Production
Nenad Trifunovski
Track list
1. Indie = Independent, Fan = Fanatic
2. Čovekot kogo Racin go opejuva
3. Ova e tvoj grad
4. Mladite ne se mladi
5. Vrati go toj proklet den
6. Svetot e ogledalo
7. Sivomaslinesti i maskirni
8. Tango revolucioner
9. Kade što nema plač i vozdiška
10. Sin na gladot
