Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Various Artists
Label: ZKP RTV Slovenija
Release: 2010
Rating: 2.5/5
The third compilation from radio station Val 202, aptly named for 2010 as “Val 10”, shows the first cracks, tipping the scales toward a feeling of exhaustion, burnout and curatorial dryness in the selection that the new compilation embodies.
Where do we pin the blame for this feeling? Definitely on the jurors and the backstage politics that run the programming of the station in question. The third edition is the least “electric” so far, not to mention the shortage of genre leaps. On the flip side, it’s more electronic than any of its predecessors. “Val 202 goes hip hop” would be the first fleeting impression. In fact, the first mission of a compilation like this is to pick out the most promising new acts and give them the stage to show off their musical expression, based on uniqueness, artistic identity and originality. And this new compilation has less of all that than its predecessors from 2009 and 2008.
The first thing that jumps out at you, even before you slide the compilation into the CD player, is a magical combo of two little words: Zaklonišče prepeva. Is this a band that needs a spot on a compilation like this? Certainly not. The track isn’t bad. They simply remain in the business of imitating rock bands from the former Yugoslavia who used Serbo-Croatian in their lyrics. Eternal nostalgics who finished their evolutionary path before it ever really began. And in all their years of existence they haven’t changed one bit. Još uvjek pomislim na tebe could easily have made it as a standalone single, while the spot on the compilation could have stayed open for an act that’s still looking for its real breakthrough.
The turn to hip hop does nothing for the mission of hunting for authenticity. Sounding Harlem, sorry, adapted to Ljubljana’s Dravlje or Fužine, with a musical backdrop that of course evokes flirting with their American colleagues, connoisseurs of 24-karat gold, glittering wrists draped in lavish Rolexes, arm-waving with jerky two-finger pointing, plus-size off-the-rack clothing and two-legged swaying? Is that really enough for musical originality? The real strength is certainly in the poetry of the chosen acts. They can always lean on the strong message of the verses themselves (I Vanish, Andrej Bučar Drill,…), while the search for wit or insight in the musical backing that accompanies them remains a utopia of the new era.
“Fant, k govori z angeli” by Blooming is a bold and successful mix of a friendly, light melody with a veil of melancholy that marks credible Slovenian roots (all the way to Siddharta and beyond) and a sharp lyric. The tracks Dečko (DidiWa) and Zjutraj ptički prav lepo pojo (Same babe) are 100% devoted to following traditional Slovenian folk melos. That recycled folk-melos packaging in the lead phrases will surely work far better in the “body” of proper full-length releases from both acts, which, let’s hope, are rising somewhere on the horizon and which we’ll witness in the near future.
The rock-minded tracks by Zgrešeni primeri and Sabalmoza sound downright soothing in this company, at first listen. But only until you realize that one is just a decent summary of the typical The Drinkers sermon, and the other is Niet in a watered-down version.
There is one song, though, that’s seriously special and practically pulls this compilation up from the bottom all by itself. That’s “Časovni (u)stroj” by the duo Nejc Sajovic and Jaša Hedžet. Through a sparkling, inspired and thoroughly unique composition, which even adds a programmed sample of the cooing of disgusting city pigeons and in which the bass guitar works real wonders, with so much intelligence in holding the rhythm while delivering melody at the same time, it lays bare the harsh reality of Slovenian life in 2010. If anyone deserves this year’s Oscar for the most intelligent lyrics in Slovenian, it’s definitely these two partners in crime.
The second hugely shining spot on this compilation is the excellent “workers’ anthem” San na cesti by Giftna Krf, which wins you over with its deeply felt delivery of verses that practically ooze alcohol fumes, and where it’s not hard to feel that if Vlado Kreslin had stayed an alternative artist, he’d undoubtedly be playing in Giftna Krf today. Prlekija remains the land of miraculous and untouchable bands. Sadly, this is the only (strong) point of the album with proper blues rock debauchery, cut loose in the authentic fury of “Prlekija” slang. Funny. It’s even the filthiest track on the album.
The sugary electro-pop of Roke gor by Jacuzzy also handles the infection of electronic sampling well and likewise brings a moment of greater interest to this compilation. Once again, it’s the cleverly delivered verses that save the day, mockingly poking fun at the daily ID card of the little guy of modern times, dreaming big dreams through his own Facebook profile.
The soul pop moment “Ti si” by an artist going by the name Leila knows how to grab the attention of fans of acts like Da Phenomena in the chorus. This track is also one of the brighter spots of the compilation, with exceptionally pretty and sensual verses delivered in an intelligent and refined way.
Even though it’s in English, So Fine by singer-songwriter Ditka manages to sound very convincing, and she isn’t shy about flirting with the far more successful catalog of her British Isles “relative” K.T. Tunstall. But we’re back at the same conclusion. We’ve heard this stuff somewhere before.
Prišlek by Matej Kranjc comes off worse, since it lacks personal character and the charm of a distinctive identity. A dry piece of work, with no clear conclusions and no real payoff from its basic ideas. Simple as that. It’s got too little wit to challenge the work of, say, Mlakar and/or Smolar.
“Val 010” brings a few bright flashes, but mostly we’re exposed to less interesting compositions that mostly recall inventions already delivered in the human era. Which makes you wonder, and rightly so, where the shift toward favoring singer-songwriter music and hip hop is coming from. Slovenes really do have a huge number of fascinating bands. And after three years, the seasoned team of top music connoisseurs that makes up the Val 202 jury, and that decides on the musical accessibility and acceptability of individual “applicants” for a spot on the compilation, hasn’t managed to look any further than rummaging through the (by Slovenian standards already classic) pop punk rock predictability, the more or less flirtatious pairing of innocent little songs with pop cosmetics, hip hop derivatives and the ever-grateful escape into acoustics, usually embodied by singer-songwriter music.
Where’s the progressive rock, where’s the hard rock, where’s the heavy metal with its subgenres, where’s the jazz rock fusion? At least one act per compilation. Nobody will die from it, or at least go deaf. If the new favorite is once again the chewed-up Serbo-Croatian of Zaklonišče prepeva, gnawed to the bone by the tooth of time, and even English in the mouths of Slovenian acts, that’s just a reflection of a pathetic clinging to the reins that keep the “status quo” going. The next compilation, which will be called “Val 011”, urgently needs a airing-out with a selection of far greater genre daring, if it wants to keep its credibility and its basic purpose, and its interest along with them. In other words, to offer “first aid” only to truly talented acts who don’t hide their musical authenticity. And there must be no genre protectionism here. So it’s worth looking elsewhere and giving a chance to bands from other genre fields too. Even at the cost of a complete redefinition, not to say restructuring, of the music jury of this venerable radio station. Who knows. Maybe its inspiration has already run dry after three years.
Tracklist
1. Hello – Beathmyth feat. N’Toko
2. Ti si – Leila
3. Zjutraj ptički prav lepo pojo – Same babe
4. Kaku si kej? – Zgrešeni primeri
5. Roke gor – Jacuzzy
6. San na cesti – Giftna Krf
7. So Fine – Ditka
8. Prišlek – Matej Kranjc
9. Još uvek pomislim na tebe – Zaklonišče prepeva
10. Poet – Sabalmoza
11. Fant, ki je govoril z angeli – Blooming
12. Časovni (u)stroj – Nejc Sajovic in Jaša Hedžet
13. Can You Do It? – Brutalna romantika
14. Z mikrofonom – Andrej Bučar Drill
15. Dečko – Didiwa
16. Začetek konca – I Vanish
