Izvajalec: Spaltklang
Založba: Fazzul Music
Izid: year
Ocena: 4.4/5
Končno smo le dočakali! Tri leta je minilo od albuma Lontano, zdaj pa je Markus Stauss s svojimi pomagači le zaključil svojo najnovejšo mojstrovino, ki se imenuje En Suite. Verjetno lahko Markusu oprostimo, saj ima vedno polne roke dela tudi s svojimi ostalimi projekti.
Še preden sem album slišal, sem vedel, da bo sijajen, saj nam Markus še nikoli ni postregel s čem slabim. Porajalo se je le vprašanje, če bo zasedba nadaljevala kjer je končala z Lontanom, ali pa bodo raziskovali nova glasbena področja.
En Suite morda res ne pokaže čisto nove plati Spaltklang. Še vedno gre za imeniten jazz-rock, a album je kot celota nekoliko bolj umirjen. Ni toliko vihravih trenutkov kot na prejšnjih izdelkih. Skupina se bolj osredotoča na svoje komorne kvalitete ter svojo neoklasicistično in folk plat. Te stvari so bile vedno prisotne, a nikoli v tolikšni meri. Končen izdelek je zato bolj blag, vendar pa prinaša ravno toliko poslušalskega veselja kot druge Spaltklang plošče.
Ponovno me navdušujejo skupinine sposobnosti ustvarjanja takšnih lahkotnih melodij. To je še bolj neverjetno, če pomislim, da jih ljudje v glavnem uvrščajo med avantgardne zasedbe. Stauss ima očitno dober posluh za spevne melodije in to mu tudi tukaj dobro uspeva.
Precej je očitno, da v Spaltklang igrajo sami briljantni glasbeniki, a tega znanja nikoli ne obešajo na veliki zvon. Tehnično znanje je manj pomembno od skupnega vtisa, vendar pa to ne pomeni, da ne znajo igrati. Ravno obratno! Ko imajo možnost pokazati svoje znanje, njihove sposobnosti postanejo očitne. Niti eden instrument ni dominanten, a vsak član dobi priložnost biti v središču pozornosti.
Kaj naj še rečem? Gre za še eden izjemen dosežek švicarskih velikanov. Album je napolnjen z raznovrstnimi razpoloženji in impresijami. Še vedno mi ni jasno zakaj niso bolj spoštovani, še posebej če se spomnim njihovih sposobnosti ustvarjanja zapletene glasbe, ki še vedno vsebuje dosti melodičnih elementov. Še bolj sem razočaran, ker skupina vedno znova ustvarja takšne kakovostne izdelke. Upam, da bodo nekega dne Spaltklang vendarle dobili priznanje, ki si ga zaslužijo, a trenutno je verjetno njihova največja nagrada spoznanje, da so ustvarili še eno brezčasno mojstrovino.
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Finally, the wait is over. It’s been three years since Lontano and now Markus Stauss and his bunch of merry men have at last finished their latest masterpiece, entitled En Suite. I suppose we can forgive Markus the long wait seeing as he’s so busy with his many other projects.
Even before I listened to the album I knew that it would be a triumph because I haven’t heard anything bad from Markus yet. There was only a question if the album would continue where Lontano left off, or it would explore new territories.
Admittedly, En Suite doesn’t really show a totally different side to Spaltklang. This is still amazing jazz-rock, but the album is much more subdued as a whole. There aren’t as many fierce moments as on earlier efforts. The band seems to concentrate a bit more on their chamber qualities and their neo classical and folk side, which has always been present, but not to this degree. So what we get is a much calmer album, which brings just as much listening pleasure as any other Spaltklang release.
Again, I am amazed by this band’s ability to come up with such memorable melodies, which is even more incredible if you consider that most people put them in the avant-garde camp. Stauss obviously has a good ear for a catchy tune and he certainly delivers on this front again.
It’s fairly obvious that Spaltklang features brilliant musicians, but their playing is never flashy. The overall sound and product is usually favoured over sheer technical prowess. However, this doesn’t mean that these guys can’t play. Quite the contrary! During the times they let loose, their ability on their instruments becomes clear. No instrument seems to dominate, but every player gets a chance to be in the limelight.
What more can I say? This is another triumphant achievement by this Swiss ensemble. It’s an album filled with so many different moods and impressions. It still defies belief that Spaltklang isn’t more respected worldwide, given their capabilities to produce intricate music, which still contains several melodic moments. It’s even more frustrating because the band produces such quality products time and time again. One day, Spaltklang will hopefully get the recognition they deserve, but for the time being I suppose their biggest reward will be the knowledge that they have produced yet another timeless masterpiece.
Zasedba
Markus Stauss – saksofoni
Stephan Brunner – električen bas
Oliver Vogt – violina
Rémy Sträuli – bobni, klaviature
Produkcija
Markus Stauss
Seznam skladb
1. Amuse-bouche
2. Von Anbeginn
3. Heartbeat
4. En Suite
5. Ideen
6. Evocazione
7. Open Directions
8. Molto Lento
