Author: Urban Bolta
Artist: Nčodnč
Release: 2009
Length: 34:33
Rating: 3/5
Kočevje and Ribnica have always been a stronghold of punk, and with that a cradle for many Slovenian punk bands. In fact, Kočevje is one of the centers of the Slovenian punk movement, right up there with Kranj or Trbovlje as two other traditional bases of punk culture. Pankeroschi, Kosmate Dlesni, Sintetika, Golliwog and Nčodnč are bands that the Kočevje-Ribnica corner has spat up to the surface lately, and they’re already shaping the top of the Slovenian punk crowd. In fall 2009, Nčodnč added their own little shot glass to the spirit of the scene’s progress and released their debut, titled “Izlet v neznano”.
The Kočevje trio has been strumming, creating and singing since 2005, and in that time the guys have carved out their own style, packaged it, recorded it, put it out on their own label and pushed it onto the market, hoping for the next step on their musical path. The guys swear by angry, aggressive punk with a big dose of melody, both in the guitar passages and the vocal harmonies, while the typical sharp-tongued lyrics about a screwed-up world are the weak part of their music, the one that tosses them into the bag of “yet another bunch of punks”.
In a musically rather barren genre, Nčodnč cultivate an exceptional feel for building songs. Despite only three instruments and, as a result, little room to maneuver, the guys make dynamic music, and they know how to weave ideas from different winds into a song. Three-chord riffs are no real guarantee of a complex song, which Nčodnč are well aware of, so they look for solutions in plenty of transitions from calmer to smashing-things waters, varied use of guitar effects, flirting with metal elements, some ska guitar backing, brutal outbursts of rage and, on the other side, even the occasional dreamy “popish” sound (not in the style of some quasi-punks like Backstage or Zablujena Generacija, let there be no mistake!). The drums take refuge in a funky orientation in the calmer moments, and the overall picture is also adorned by a strong presence of the bass guitar – the production folks hit the nail right on the head! Despite all the aggression, melody blooms in the listener’s ears the whole time, mostly in the form of dynamic vocal lines. The vocalists trade off, firing at each other like machine guns on the Soča front, which points to strong hardcore roots, and in the choruses they pull together in harmony. The weak spot is definitely the message, where Nčodnč bring nothing fresh. The dissatisfaction and frustration about this and that topic, heard a thousand times from the punk repertoire, make you think the lyrical side of the album is the work of some green-chinned youngster with too much testosterone between his legs. A girl to sober them up would do them good in this case!
The opening “Diskriminacija” takes us straight onto the highway, from which there’s no way back! Strong guitar lines, a lively structure and, last but not least, the already mentioned singability are the elements the whole debut sails along on. “14” is a raw track, even flirting slightly with metal elements, and it’s one of the album’s highlights, just like the title track “Izlet v neznano”, in which Nčodnč combined all the key elements of their identity. “Satana” and “Radbi” are home to ska rhythms and with them a more positive shade, an atypical trait for the Kočevje trio on an angry debut.
Despite interesting structures and form, where not all the songs are cut from the same cloth, after a few listens the album somehow doesn’t stick in your ears to the point where you’d sing its songs on the way from home to the best neighbor’s. The reason lies in how worn-out the genre itself is, but still, with “Izlet v neznano” Nčodnč took a big step toward recognition in the Slovenian punk underground.
Lineup
Bito – bass and vocals
Gagi – drums and vocals
Rupa – guitar and vocals
Production
Nčodnč, Primož Velikonja
Tracklist
1. Diskriminacija
2. M.O.R.J.E.
3. Roža
4. 14
5. Umetniki
6. Sovražim svet
7. Satana
8. Skrotüm
9. Tisti dnejvi
10. Radbi
11. Zelena ganja
12. Izlet v neznano
13. Na-sm-eh 🙂
14. Pralni stroj
15. Mala stvar
16. Žvau
