Izvajalec: Spaltklang
Založba: Fazzul Music
Izid: year
Ocena: 4.3/5
O Markusu Staussu in njegovih projektih sem napisal že toliko, da se mi včasih zdi, da nimam več kaj dodati. A že ko se mi zazdi, da o njegovi glasbi ne morem napisati kaj novega, me njegove kompozicije ponovno inspirirajo. Točno to se je zgodilo, ko sem slišal prvi album skupine Spaltklang z naslovom Alpenglühen.
Vse skladbe je napisal Markus Stauss (kot skoraj na vseh projektih, kjer je sodeloval), z izjemo nekaterih kratkih izsekov, ki so bili napisani z združnimi močmi. Ponovno smo soočeni z moževimi sposobnostmi, da piše precej vesele melodije v enem trenutku, v drugem trenutku pa se posveti izjemno težavnim, zapletenim in tudi zloveščim delom. Nič ni nad njegovimi žmožnostmi in nič ne prepušča naključju. Izkorišča vse svoje talente in toliko glasbenih vplivov kolikor lahko. Ponavadi je končni rezultat glasba, ki ji ni kaj očitati tako v smislu melodije kot tudi v smislu inovativnosti ne – tudi Alpenglühen je popoln primer tega.
Tudi ta album je poln fascinantnih sprememb ritma, hitrih delov in počasnejših trenutkov, kjer se intenzivnost nenehno stopnjuje. Glasba niti za sekundo ni dolgočasna in veliko zaslug za to ima raznolikost stilov, ki jo lahko tukaj slišimo. Večina albuma je poklon inovativnosti. Čeprav so že vsi žanri, ki se jih tukaj lotijo, že bili utemeljeni s strani drugih izvajalcev, Spaltklang glasbo na novo definirajo in jo prikažejo v drugačni luči. Njihova različica jazz-rocka ne zveni podobna nobeni drugi skupini v tem žanru, tudi zaradi tega, ker je v glasbi kar nekaj trenutkov folka, klasike, avantgarde in še marsičesa.
Glasbeniki ponovno blestijo. Staussove nežne in trde saksofonske linije so briljantne kot ponavadi. Violina doda glasbi nekaj posebnega – včasih te spomni na jazz-rock Jean-Luca Pontyja ali Jerryja Goodmana, a drugič zveni bolj klasična ali folkovska. Bas je ekspresiven in tudi izstopa. Linije niso tipične za instrument, ki spada v ritem sekcijo, so veliko bolj raznovrstne in zahtevne kot je to navada. Za razliko od drugih Spaltklang albumov, Rémy Sträuli sem uvrsti nekoliko več klaviaturskih delov. Tako lahko slišimo nekaj okusnih delov na sintetizatorju, med drugim tudi topel zvok mellotrona. Prav tako nas prevzame s svojimi impresivnimi bobnarskimi sposobnostmi, ki so vse prej kot navadne, podobno kot pri basu.
Ker je to skupinin prvi album, bi morda nekdo, ki ne pozna zgodovine posameznih članov, pričakoval, da bo tudi to tipičen prvenec – poln entuziazma in navdušenja, a tudi poln malomarnih napak in kompozicijskih neizkušenj. Tukaj teh težav ni. Navdušenje in dinamika sta res prisotna, a so skladbe detajlno dodelane in očitno je, da so delo izurjenih profesionalcev (s tem mislim na vse člane). Tudi aranžmaji (ne cvetlični) so izjemni, kar le pokaže koliko talenta ima skupina. Res je, da je Alpenglühen njihov debutantski izdelek in da so s kasnejšimi albumi postajali vse boljši, a ta album je definiral bistvo zvoka in glasbe zasedbe Spaltklang.
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I’ve already written so much about Markus Stauss and his projects that I sometimes feel like I have nothing new to add. But just when I think I can’t write anything new about his music, his compositions inspire me again. This is how it was when I heard Spaltklang’s first album, entitled Alpenglühen.
All the compositions were written by Markus Stauss (like on most of the projects he’s involved in), except for a few short excerpts, which were a joint effort. We are once more faced with the man’s ability to write extremely “happy” melodies at one moment and extremely complex, intricate and even sinister segments at other times. Nothing is beyond his capabilities and he leaves no stone unturned. He exploits all of his talents and as many musical influences as possible. The end result is usually music that’s beyond reproach both in terms of melody and innovation – Alpenglühen is the perfect example of this.
This album is filled with many fascinating rhythm changes, up-tempo segments and also many slower parts which build in intensity. It isn’t boring for a single second and a lot of this has to do with the variety of stiles they deal with here. Most of the album is a shrine to innovation. Even though the genres they deal with have all been tackled by other artists, Spaltklang redefine the music and put a different spin on everything. Their variety of jazz-rock sounds unlike any other jazz-rock out there, with hints of folk, classical, avant-garde and lots more.
The musicians shine as usually. Stauss’s soft and hard saxophone lines are brilliant as always. The violin adds a special flavour to the music – sometimes it makes you recall the jazz-rock stylings of Jean-Luc Ponty or Jerry Goodman, but at other times it sounds classical or even folky. The bass is expressive and stands out on its own. The lines are not really typical for an instrument in the rhythm section, they’re much more varied and intricate than what we’re used to. Unlike the other Spaltklang albums, Rémy Sträuli fits a few more of his keyboard parts in here. Thus we are able to hear some very tasty synthesizer segments, including the warm sound of the mellotron, among others. He also enthrals us with his impressive drumming skills, which are, just like the bass, anything but ordinary.
Seeing as this is the band’s first album, someone who was unaware of the band members before this release might think this would be a typical first album – full of enthusiasm and eagerness, but also full of sloppy mistakes and compositional inexperience. There are no such problems here. The eagerness and dynamics of a band’s first album are here, but the compositions are finely honed and are obviously a work of skilled professionals (meaning all the members). The arrangements (not the flower kind) are also exceptional, which merely exhibits the talents of the group. It’s true that Alpenglühen is their first effort and the subsequent releases would just keep on getting better, but this album was the one which defined the essence of Spaltklang’s sound and music.
Zasedba
Markus Stauss – saksofon
Stephan Brunner – bas
Oliver Vogt – violina
Rémy Sträuli – bobni in sintetizator
Produkcija
Markus Stauss
Seznam skladb
1. Wie einst im Mai
2. Unexpected
3. Immer wieder
4. Alpenglühen
5. Joker
6. Bambus
7. Sülz
8. A Dance Tune
9. Ewig
10. K 1 Full Blow
