Artist: Veronica
Release: 2002
Rating: 3.7/5
After a good few years’ break following Natura Naturans, Veronica came back in 2001 with a new release, Triac. The core of the lineup stayed the same, with keyboardist Matej Oset and drummer Franc Podgoršek, and guitarist Boštjan Leben returned after sitting out since the first album. Cveto Polak is back on board too, better known as the bassist in Šank Rock.
Triac is a somewhat more varied record than Natura Naturans. On the previous album the songs more or less followed the same pattern, but this time around it’s quite different. There’s a wider range of influences – funk (3LR, Te-Fu), jazz, rock, classical, Oriental music (Zen) and probably a few more you could dig up. Still, the foundation for all the tracks is a mix of jazz and rock. Fusion fans might think this is one for them, but it’s not really your typical jazz-rock blend. It’s mostly smooth jazz, so you won’t get the usual wild shredding of classic fusion bands. Veronica’s music is really hard to pigeonhole, it can’t just be neatly defined, and that’s exactly what makes it so interesting.
The main sonic backdrop is still built by Oset and Podgoršek, whose melodic playing creates incredibly easy-listening music. Oset uses the synthesizer more than on Natura Naturans, which again adds to the variety. Compared to the previous album, there’s also a bit more focus on the other instruments. There’s even more guitar, and the addition of the sarod, a plucked string instrument, is interesting, as is the saxophone on a couple of songs. The bass is a little more noticeable too.
Veronica wrote the songs for this album between 1996 and 2001. Some tracks were recorded in the studio, others in the rehearsal space. The funny thing is, you can’t tell at all which ones were recorded where. That just shows these guys are top-notch professionals who had the compositions completely polished and finished before they started recording.
It’s no surprise to me that their music ended up as the backdrop for the teletext pages on Slovenian television, since it’s very unobtrusive and has a calming effect on people. I can’t imagine anyone hating this kind of music, but I also have a hard time picturing anyone being a die-hard devotee. It’s music that’s really beautiful, but not the kind that could get you hooked. Still, I’d highly recommend Veronica, if for nothing else then for unwinding.
The CD was self-released, and for more info on buying the record, click here
Lineup
Matej Oset – keyboards
Franc Podgoršek – drums
Boštjan Leben – guitar
Igor Bezget – guitar
Aleš Uratnik – guitar
Cveto Polak – bass guitar
Tadej Vobovnik – bass guitar
Andrej Modic – saxophone
Track list
1. D.W.A. 5:32
2. YI-HU 5:11
3. 3 LR 2:46
4. Woo 5:05
5. Bizz 6:07
6. Te-fu 4:56
7. Miya 3:26
8. Yon 5:21
9. Zen 5:39
10. Moss 5:24
11. Atac 4:51
