Izvođač: Spaltklang
Izdavač: Fazzul Music
Izlazak: 2002
Ocjena: 4.3/5
O Markusu Staussu i njegovim projektima napisao sam već toliko da mi se ponekad čini kako nemam što dodati. No čim pomislim da o njegovoj glazbi ne mogu napisati ništa novo, njegove me kompozicije opet nadahnu. Točno se to dogodilo kad sam čuo prvi album grupe Spaltklang naslovljen Alpenglühen.
Sve je skladbe napisao Markus Stauss (kao i na gotovo svim projektima u kojima je sudjelovao), osim nekoliko kratkih isječaka nastalih zajedničkim snagama. Opet se suočavamo s čovjekovom sposobnošću da u jednom trenutku piše poprilično vesele melodije, a već u sljedećem se posveti iznimno teškim, zamršenim, pa i zlokobnim dionicama. Ništa nije izvan njegovih mogućnosti i ništa ne prepušta slučaju. Iskoristi sve svoje talente i onoliko glazbenih utjecaja koliko god može. Krajnji je rezultat obično glazba kojoj nema što zamjeriti, i u smislu melodije i u smislu inovativnosti – a Alpenglühen je savršen primjer toga.
I ovaj je album pun fascinantnih promjena ritma, brzih dijelova i sporijih trenutaka u kojima se intenzitet neprestano diže. Glazba ni sekundu nije dosadna, a velika je zasluga na raznolikosti stilova koje ovdje možemo čuti. Većina albuma pravi je poklon inovativnosti. Iako su svi žanrovi kojima se ovdje bave već odavno utemeljili drugi izvođači, Spaltklang glazbu iznova definiraju i prikazuju je u drukčijem svjetlu. Njihova inačica jazz-rocka ne zvuči kao nijedan drugi sastav u tom žanru, i zato što u glazbi ima podosta folka, klasike, avangarde i još svačega.
Glazbenici opet blistaju. Staussove nježne i tvrde saksofonske linije briljantne su kao i obično. Violina glazbi daje nešto posebno – ponekad te podsjeti na jazz-rock Jean-Luca Pontyja ili Jerryja Goodmana, a drugi put zvuči klasičnije ili folklorno. Bas je ekspresivan i ističe se. Linije nisu tipične za instrument koji pripada ritam-sekciji, mnogo su raznovrsnije i zahtjevnije nego što je uobičajeno. Za razliku od drugih albuma Spaltklanga, Rémy Sträuli ovdje je ubacio nešto više dionica na klavijaturama. Tako možemo čuti nekoliko ukusnih dionica na sintisajzeru, među ostalim i topao zvuk mellotrona. Isto nas osvaja svojim impresivnim bubnjarskim vještinama, koje su sve prije nego obične, baš kao i kod basa.
Budući da je ovo prvi album grupe, netko tko ne poznaje povijest pojedinih članova mogao bi očekivati tipičan prvijenac – pun entuzijazma i oduševljenja, ali i nemarnih grešaka i kompozicijske neiskusnosti. Ovdje tih problema nema. Oduševljenje i dinamika doista su prisutni, ali su skladbe detaljno dotjerane i očito je da su djelo uvježbanih profesionalaca (pritom mislim na sve članove). I aranžmani (ne cvjetni) izvanredni su, što samo pokazuje koliko talenta grupa ima. Istina je da je Alpenglühen njihov debitantski uradak i da su s kasnijim albumima postajali sve bolji, ali upravo je ovaj album definirao bit zvuka i glazbe sastava 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.
Postava
Markus Stauss – saksofon
Stephan Brunner – bas
Oliver Vogt – violina
Rémy Sträuli – bubnjevi i sintisajzer
Produkcija
Markus Stauss
Popis skladbi
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
