Slovenia by 19loveless91 
My favourite albums by Slovenian artists, pre- or post-independence (1991).
1 album per artist to cover more ground. 72 is a random number, I kept going as long as I could still say I "liked" the album.
I wrote comments for each album. The added extra links ("footnotes") are not necessarily related to the artist. Comments get shorter later on.
Some genres under (or not at all-) represented. I clearly also don't know enough about the many electronic or metal subgenres.
If you're looking for "traditional slovenian folk music", there isn't much of that here. In general, a lot of stuff here is probably hard to enjoy without understanding the lyrics, so this is hardly a "list of recommendations".
I fucked around and made a spotify list:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5he5MilGBYYYYoTjkNOkJg
... but a lot of bands from here are missing. I might make a youtube list down the road.
Record labels represented: Kapa, ZARŠ, Rx:tx, Kamizdat, Beton, Wudisban, ŠOP Records, Moonlee, God Bless This Mess... To more mainstream ones: Nika, Menart / KifKif, Helidon, and ofc. ZKP RTVLJ / RTVS
Happy to get more recommendations, it will remain a work in progress.
No offense if your band isn't here.
- Chart updated: 01/02/2021 16:15
- (Created: 04/02/2018 16:31).
- Chart size: 72 albums.
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In recent years N'toko has become more of an activist and columnist for a leftwing magazine. Too "far left" for mainstream politics, not left enough for some (1). Anyhow, a decade ago, N'toko was cruising somewhere between Europe and Japan, after he started to fuck around producing his stuff. Locally he was still active in his band Moveknowledgement, but most importantly, he released three LPs in Slovene language that, in my opinion, raised the bar for Slovenian hip hop to an absurdly high level.
Particularly on his first two albums (Cesarjeva nova podoba, eng. Cesar's new image) and Dobrodelni koncert... (eng. Charity concert at the end of the world), he showcases his talent to full extent - clever rhymes, oneliners, wordplay, similes, speed, [unfortunate voice, but i guess you can't have it all], which all also earned him a reputation as a great freestyler (winning a competition got him his first record deal). More importantly N'toko regularly tackled heavy topics: capitalist, consumerist society, alienation in said society, nationalism, xenophobia, etc. He always looked to examine it more closely, and (in his best songs) force you to ask questions about your own views and life. Some of his best songs could genuinely be expanded into a coherent political commentary, some others were great storytelling, and then some were just clever/funny.
The album: His second album, and the one where N'toko got everything just right. The first album probably features his best rhymes, it was at times just a bit too preachy, and maybe too often trying to push through a "message". Here, he takes a step back, is instead more observational, maybe more abstract at times. His wordplay and oneliners are as good as they ever were. Where the third album's self-production fucks a bit with his flow, N'toko enlisted the help of several musicians, led by Gal Gjurin, an accomplished musician (and a bit of a grinch for those in charge of radio playlists for trying to push through a quota for music in slovene language on radios) and some of his Moveknowledgment buddies. No sampling, jazzy, a bit abstract, but letting N'toko in control.
Track picks: There's Furam safr: mocking the so called culture of suffering and complaining ("hypochondriacs don't want to accept me to their circles, all that is wrong with me is that there's nothing wrong me"). Rikše, which repeats the theme of Srednja pot on the first album, but does it better, questioning our relationship towards money, presumably as someone in the economic middle class. Title track claims that most good deeds are done with ill intention (charity maintains inequality).
Peak of the album comes in the form of two tracks: K4 - based on liner notes, written after what was a particularly bad gig at the club K4, just a series of vivid and clever oneliners ("wholeheartedly welcome to the men's room, today in the backstage we're showing Animal Planet"). And then there's Slovenec sem - first in what later became a trilogy of songs about slovenian identity. Essentially listing the stereotypical behaviours of Slovenians while trying to answer the question - what is it that makes somebody "Slovenian"? ("single til death or married ten times, i won't ever have kids, i will have lawyers")
Other albums:
(both would be top 10-15 here); Parada ljubezni (Zig Zig (2), Neznosna lahkotnost življenja, žive meje), Cesarjeva nova podoba (Prilika o izgubljenem MC-ju, Dvojna morala, Oddelek z resno glasbo)
(1) https://www.facebook.com/DDlevoliberalizma/posts/3710453832355902 I think I understand the origins of the beef, but it's too Ljubljana specific.
(2) Zig Zig is a concise take on the forms of modern nazism. And a good one if you want to see people getting tricked into shouting "sieg heil"
https://youtu.be/wPDQzOnBaJQ [First added to this chart: 02/26/2020]
Particularly on his first two albums (Cesarjeva nova podoba, eng. Cesar's new image) and Dobrodelni koncert... (eng. Charity concert at the end of the world), he showcases his talent to full extent - clever rhymes, oneliners, wordplay, similes, speed, [unfortunate voice, but i guess you can't have it all], which all also earned him a reputation as a great freestyler (winning a competition got him his first record deal). More importantly N'toko regularly tackled heavy topics: capitalist, consumerist society, alienation in said society, nationalism, xenophobia, etc. He always looked to examine it more closely, and (in his best songs) force you to ask questions about your own views and life. Some of his best songs could genuinely be expanded into a coherent political commentary, some others were great storytelling, and then some were just clever/funny.
The album: His second album, and the one where N'toko got everything just right. The first album probably features his best rhymes, it was at times just a bit too preachy, and maybe too often trying to push through a "message". Here, he takes a step back, is instead more observational, maybe more abstract at times. His wordplay and oneliners are as good as they ever were. Where the third album's self-production fucks a bit with his flow, N'toko enlisted the help of several musicians, led by Gal Gjurin, an accomplished musician (and a bit of a grinch for those in charge of radio playlists for trying to push through a quota for music in slovene language on radios) and some of his Moveknowledgment buddies. No sampling, jazzy, a bit abstract, but letting N'toko in control.
Track picks: There's Furam safr: mocking the so called culture of suffering and complaining ("hypochondriacs don't want to accept me to their circles, all that is wrong with me is that there's nothing wrong me"). Rikše, which repeats the theme of Srednja pot on the first album, but does it better, questioning our relationship towards money, presumably as someone in the economic middle class. Title track claims that most good deeds are done with ill intention (charity maintains inequality).
Peak of the album comes in the form of two tracks: K4 - based on liner notes, written after what was a particularly bad gig at the club K4, just a series of vivid and clever oneliners ("wholeheartedly welcome to the men's room, today in the backstage we're showing Animal Planet"). And then there's Slovenec sem - first in what later became a trilogy of songs about slovenian identity. Essentially listing the stereotypical behaviours of Slovenians while trying to answer the question - what is it that makes somebody "Slovenian"? ("single til death or married ten times, i won't ever have kids, i will have lawyers")
Other albums:
(both would be top 10-15 here); Parada ljubezni (Zig Zig (2), Neznosna lahkotnost življenja, žive meje), Cesarjeva nova podoba (Prilika o izgubljenem MC-ju, Dvojna morala, Oddelek z resno glasbo)
(1) https://www.facebook.com/DDlevoliberalizma/posts/3710453832355902 I think I understand the origins of the beef, but it's too Ljubljana specific.
(2) Zig Zig is a concise take on the forms of modern nazism. And a good one if you want to see people getting tricked into shouting "sieg heil"
https://youtu.be/wPDQzOnBaJQ [First added to this chart: 02/26/2020]
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I have tremendous respect for Iztok Mlakar. Professionally he was a theatre actor before he started to perform music, and it took him years to record and release his material. His day job shows in his music. Mlakar takes on a character, usually a common man, maybe a farmer, other times a worker, telling stories about their life, struggles in society, usually in a very heavy regional (Littoral) dialect.
Sometimes the songs are as simple as the character's love of wine or food (on this album - Karlo Špacapan, protecting his wine from whoever is in power before, during and after WW2). Other times they are about a resistance in the system they are in - Pepi Žbaradorija is about a futile resistance of an idealistic man; Puntarska takes the idea from peasant revolts centuries ago, the character warning that his resistant spirit is waking up now ("I can't help it with the ancestors I have"), and that he is now a "modernized farmer" ("I modernized myself, I don't have an axe anymore, but I could cut a head with a chainsaw too!"); while Pubi, usidma se is about a workers strike. On future albums Mlakar tackled the class divide more explicitly, particularly in the context of post-socialist society, and often criticized attitudes of opportunists, who benefited from the change in politics. Some of his songs are humorous, even if they are about heavy topics (alcoholism in Beštija), some are introspective (see Soča from his second album), some are nostalgic and melancholic (this album's highlight - Vandima, about an affair in the past, or a lost love ballad En glaž vina mi dej).
Musically, Mlakar's music is always quite minimal. Always with him is David Šuligoj on accordion. His music thus never includes anything other than the acoustic guitar, accordion, and occasionally contrabass (and sometimes random percussion). The story goes that for the first album, they enlisted a well known Slovenian composer Mojmir Sepe to help include strings or other instruments. Upon hearing the songs, Sepe himself advised against his involvement, as any extra instruments would ruin the intimacy of the songs. Thank god for that.
I haven't seen Mlakar live yet, which is a shame. There aren't many concerts, and are usually sold out immediately. They apparently involve a lot of interaction (1) with the crowd, storytelling, wine and food.
Other albums: Particularly the second album Balade in štroncade (1994) and Rimarije iz oštarije (2001) are great. As said, they deal more with consequences of transition to a capitalist society, which was a source for more bitterness, anger, or mockery (e.g. Politik Gvido, Ivo Balila, Božična). Rimarije also includes one of Mlakar's most touching songs, Briškula, about a suicide of a friend.
(1) From a later album, live: https://youtu.be/VokKxuwPA50 [First added to this chart: 02/26/2020]
Sometimes the songs are as simple as the character's love of wine or food (on this album - Karlo Špacapan, protecting his wine from whoever is in power before, during and after WW2). Other times they are about a resistance in the system they are in - Pepi Žbaradorija is about a futile resistance of an idealistic man; Puntarska takes the idea from peasant revolts centuries ago, the character warning that his resistant spirit is waking up now ("I can't help it with the ancestors I have"), and that he is now a "modernized farmer" ("I modernized myself, I don't have an axe anymore, but I could cut a head with a chainsaw too!"); while Pubi, usidma se is about a workers strike. On future albums Mlakar tackled the class divide more explicitly, particularly in the context of post-socialist society, and often criticized attitudes of opportunists, who benefited from the change in politics. Some of his songs are humorous, even if they are about heavy topics (alcoholism in Beštija), some are introspective (see Soča from his second album), some are nostalgic and melancholic (this album's highlight - Vandima, about an affair in the past, or a lost love ballad En glaž vina mi dej).
Musically, Mlakar's music is always quite minimal. Always with him is David Šuligoj on accordion. His music thus never includes anything other than the acoustic guitar, accordion, and occasionally contrabass (and sometimes random percussion). The story goes that for the first album, they enlisted a well known Slovenian composer Mojmir Sepe to help include strings or other instruments. Upon hearing the songs, Sepe himself advised against his involvement, as any extra instruments would ruin the intimacy of the songs. Thank god for that.
I haven't seen Mlakar live yet, which is a shame. There aren't many concerts, and are usually sold out immediately. They apparently involve a lot of interaction (1) with the crowd, storytelling, wine and food.
Other albums: Particularly the second album Balade in štroncade (1994) and Rimarije iz oštarije (2001) are great. As said, they deal more with consequences of transition to a capitalist society, which was a source for more bitterness, anger, or mockery (e.g. Politik Gvido, Ivo Balila, Božična). Rimarije also includes one of Mlakar's most touching songs, Briškula, about a suicide of a friend.
(1) From a later album, live: https://youtu.be/VokKxuwPA50 [First added to this chart: 02/26/2020]
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Širom are one of more interesting acts around right now (at least Slovenia.. i šire). While you'll see an occasional "free improvisation" genre tag, their songs are actually very carefully composed, rather than spontaneous. If you see their live set, you'll know what I mean. Their stage is loaded with many (dozens) instruments that the trio - Samo Kutin, Ana Kravanja, and Iztok Koren - use. Some are common, some are brought in from different parts of the world, some are homemade. Whatever the "combination" at a given moment, this lays the foundation for that part of the composition. Sometimes they just want to create an interesting soundscape, sometimes they get into a sort of minimalist repetitive groove, often it feels like folk music from a land that doesn't exist. Then they will make their way on stage from one instrument to another, and create carefully timed transitions. While they are limited by their number (as a trio), this gives their songs a certain character I think.
Other discography: I (would be top 10); Svet, ki konju speče cvet (top 30); Kravanja & Kutin - Cumulus Spores (top 20)
I'm at a point where I almost prefer their first album, I (1). It is a bit more "droney", less structured, but also more patient. All three of their releases (their last one being A Universe that Roasts Blossoms for a Horse), are great though. There's also a colab with a japanese artist Yoshio Machida (Kače čakajo ...). And this year (2020) Iztok Koren-less version of Širom (Kutin & Kravanja) released a quite beautiful album called Cumulus Spores (but it would feel like breaking my 1 album per artist rule if I allowed it here)
(1) performed live here https://youtu.be/VE7dFJLlVFc [First added to this chart: 02/27/2020]
Other discography: I (would be top 10); Svet, ki konju speče cvet (top 30); Kravanja & Kutin - Cumulus Spores (top 20)
I'm at a point where I almost prefer their first album, I (1). It is a bit more "droney", less structured, but also more patient. All three of their releases (their last one being A Universe that Roasts Blossoms for a Horse), are great though. There's also a colab with a japanese artist Yoshio Machida (Kače čakajo ...). And this year (2020) Iztok Koren-less version of Širom (Kutin & Kravanja) released a quite beautiful album called Cumulus Spores (but it would feel like breaking my 1 album per artist rule if I allowed it here)
(1) performed live here https://youtu.be/VE7dFJLlVFc [First added to this chart: 02/27/2020]
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Plenty of artists on this chart first came to attention via something called a "club marathon", a project of Radio Študent (less a student radio station, more an alternative/community radio, and the oldest independent radio station in Europe). Basically the idea is to discover several young/new artists and put them on a six week tour across alternative clubs in Slovenia. RŠ and this project deserve a shout-out, because they have given their support and starting point to a lot of alternative music acts in Slovenia.
Nikki Louder were one of them, already back in 2009. Since then they have released 4 LPs, which set the gold standard for noise rock/post hardcore in Slovenia (a i šire). Our World Died Yesterday is my favourite, just a tsunami of energy from start to finish (ok, second to last track). The only issue is somewhat lackluster production, but as someone with no tech knowledge, I can't really say what exactly it is that bothers me. Doesn't sound as... crisp?
If it bothers you, there's still Golden Men (2013) (would be top 20) or Trout (2015) (top 30)
Track picks: Yo Voy, Attacked, first two tracks. [First added to this chart: 02/26/2020]
Nikki Louder were one of them, already back in 2009. Since then they have released 4 LPs, which set the gold standard for noise rock/post hardcore in Slovenia (a i šire). Our World Died Yesterday is my favourite, just a tsunami of energy from start to finish (ok, second to last track). The only issue is somewhat lackluster production, but as someone with no tech knowledge, I can't really say what exactly it is that bothers me. Doesn't sound as... crisp?
If it bothers you, there's still Golden Men (2013) (would be top 20) or Trout (2015) (top 30)
Track picks: Yo Voy, Attacked, first two tracks. [First added to this chart: 02/26/2020]
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File this under forgotten/underappreciated classics. (self-)Released at a time when hip hop in Slovenia really started to flourish, Kizo, Hugo & Gramatik were the pioneers in the coastal region. To be precise, they hail from Portorož, the town most known for its tourism and hotels. This is the setting for the album - the disparity between the wealthy visitors and a crew of young guys (late teens, early 20s) whose parents work tirelessly in these hotels to put food on the table. The aimlessness of these kids, finishing high school with (in their minds) no prospects in life other than their music. The animosity between the kids and police who see them as "immigrant scum" (all three rappers have parents from other ex-yugo republics). Essentially this boils down to a coming of age album with a hefty dose of self-deprecation (as demonstrated by the albums title, meaning "Problem is in me"), but a byproduct is its social note.
The album: Despite their inexperience, the rapping is on a very high level throughout. Most of it is pretty straightforward, they don't veer too much from the topics I mentioned, they're not as technically complex, but their flow is excellent (Hugo's in particular), the moments of self-reflection and brutal honesty can hit deep (Kizo's bleak self-deprecating style is something that I personally love the most here). Gramatik I think is the weakest rapper (but not bad by any means), but on the other hand shows his talent for production, which he would hone later on in Street Bangerz, that made him realize his dreams and go live in the US.
Track picks: First two verses of Skozi moje oči are highlights of Slovenian hip hop, especially the second verse from Hugo (very confrontational and most explicitely anti-system & police), Kam grem, 3je mali klinci, Čas hitreje teče mimo (probably my favourite beat here). Ne morem govorit and Tolko Tega are the album's most introspective moments; with Kizo's bleak style most on display in the former (transl: "I'm quiet, 'cause i don't know if others feel this way / quiet, i stay cold, i don't want to be a pussy / quiet, because i don't know how to describe it / quiet, because no one cares about it anyway / quiet, because i am way too proud / quiet about my secrets, so i can stay strong"). While on Tolko tega Gramatik also seemingly resigned to his fate (... "I feel like there's no hope for me, i fell into this too long ago, i don't see another way / i got blind too long ago, suffered through a long time ago, lost hope to live a normal life too long ago")
After the album, Gramatik finds what he was dreaming about. Years later in some of his interviews, he noted how important this album was for his personal and musical development. And that it is a document of sorts of him growing up. Kizo and Hugo released another solo album after this before quietly leaving the scene. [First added to this chart: 12/01/2020]
The album: Despite their inexperience, the rapping is on a very high level throughout. Most of it is pretty straightforward, they don't veer too much from the topics I mentioned, they're not as technically complex, but their flow is excellent (Hugo's in particular), the moments of self-reflection and brutal honesty can hit deep (Kizo's bleak self-deprecating style is something that I personally love the most here). Gramatik I think is the weakest rapper (but not bad by any means), but on the other hand shows his talent for production, which he would hone later on in Street Bangerz, that made him realize his dreams and go live in the US.
Track picks: First two verses of Skozi moje oči are highlights of Slovenian hip hop, especially the second verse from Hugo (very confrontational and most explicitely anti-system & police), Kam grem, 3je mali klinci, Čas hitreje teče mimo (probably my favourite beat here). Ne morem govorit and Tolko Tega are the album's most introspective moments; with Kizo's bleak style most on display in the former (transl: "I'm quiet, 'cause i don't know if others feel this way / quiet, i stay cold, i don't want to be a pussy / quiet, because i don't know how to describe it / quiet, because no one cares about it anyway / quiet, because i am way too proud / quiet about my secrets, so i can stay strong"). While on Tolko tega Gramatik also seemingly resigned to his fate (... "I feel like there's no hope for me, i fell into this too long ago, i don't see another way / i got blind too long ago, suffered through a long time ago, lost hope to live a normal life too long ago")
After the album, Gramatik finds what he was dreaming about. Years later in some of his interviews, he noted how important this album was for his personal and musical development. And that it is a document of sorts of him growing up. Kizo and Hugo released another solo album after this before quietly leaving the scene. [First added to this chart: 12/01/2020]
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I remember avoiding listening to Lačni Franz back when I was doing the yugo chart, despite the fact they were one of the more recognizable Slovene bands. Mostly because you grow up with the image of these aging rock stars (in this case the band's frontman Zoran Predin), who released subpar solo stuff, wrote lyrics with weird sense of humor, occasionally punch a referee (1)...
And I knew a couple of songs, but didn't think enough of them. Alas. In actuality, Lačni Franz bridged the gap from the more proggy 70s to the new wave scene of the early 80s in a very inspired and unique way. Unlike most other new wave scene, their musicianship was excellent, their lyrics/sense of humor a bit hit/miss, but worked most of the time (on their best albums anyway). I think their best albums are the debut, Ikebana, and the album I chose, Na svoji strani from later on in their career.
The album itself is a lot more polished compared to their early efforts, i suppose it's up to 1980s new wave / pop rock standards of the world. While they lost some of their uniqueness by this point, their.. I hate this word, but I suppose it fits, "more mature" songwriting actually yielded an album full of classics. It's hard to pick a favourite. There's Kandidati za čestitke. Or Pepelka, which is missing on some editions for some reason, but it is excellent, Predin going all in, and there's a proper guitar solo. Ko si rdeče zvezde šivala is an interesting song, lyrically seemingly expresses disappointment about failed promises of our former country. With a nonchalant almost Gainsbourg-style delivery. Čustveno stanje mlade krave... is a humorous bit about a pregnant cow (if i'm getting the lyrics right). The title track is also an excellent ballad. Naj kolje noč (let the night slay) is another favourite, with some enigmatic lyrics that I'm not sure I totally get, but works perfectly with Predin's vocal performance.
Other stuff: Ikebana (top 20) features their most well known song, Praslovan ("proto-slav" would be the translation, it's referenced even in N'toko's Slovenec sem!). But an even better song in a similar melancholic accordion-accompanied style is Stari vojak, which adapts lyrics from James Jones' Re-enlistment blues; Although more representative of their early style are songs like Paloma, Žarnica, Bog nima telefona, Ikebana. Or Vaterpolisti from their second album, which is also very good (top 30-40).
(1) Zoran Predin punching a referee https://youtu.be/gfJGieRPwFE [First added to this chart: 12/01/2020]
And I knew a couple of songs, but didn't think enough of them. Alas. In actuality, Lačni Franz bridged the gap from the more proggy 70s to the new wave scene of the early 80s in a very inspired and unique way. Unlike most other new wave scene, their musicianship was excellent, their lyrics/sense of humor a bit hit/miss, but worked most of the time (on their best albums anyway). I think their best albums are the debut, Ikebana, and the album I chose, Na svoji strani from later on in their career.
The album itself is a lot more polished compared to their early efforts, i suppose it's up to 1980s new wave / pop rock standards of the world. While they lost some of their uniqueness by this point, their.. I hate this word, but I suppose it fits, "more mature" songwriting actually yielded an album full of classics. It's hard to pick a favourite. There's Kandidati za čestitke. Or Pepelka, which is missing on some editions for some reason, but it is excellent, Predin going all in, and there's a proper guitar solo. Ko si rdeče zvezde šivala is an interesting song, lyrically seemingly expresses disappointment about failed promises of our former country. With a nonchalant almost Gainsbourg-style delivery. Čustveno stanje mlade krave... is a humorous bit about a pregnant cow (if i'm getting the lyrics right). The title track is also an excellent ballad. Naj kolje noč (let the night slay) is another favourite, with some enigmatic lyrics that I'm not sure I totally get, but works perfectly with Predin's vocal performance.
Other stuff: Ikebana (top 20) features their most well known song, Praslovan ("proto-slav" would be the translation, it's referenced even in N'toko's Slovenec sem!). But an even better song in a similar melancholic accordion-accompanied style is Stari vojak, which adapts lyrics from James Jones' Re-enlistment blues; Although more representative of their early style are songs like Paloma, Žarnica, Bog nima telefona, Ikebana. Or Vaterpolisti from their second album, which is also very good (top 30-40).
(1) Zoran Predin punching a referee https://youtu.be/gfJGieRPwFE [First added to this chart: 12/01/2020]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank in 1986:
None
Rank in 1980s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
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This will be the first in a series of albums where I pick a personal favourite over the critically acclaimed "influental" famous record. In this case, Buldožer, a prog rock group from the 70s, released Pljuni istini u oči in 1975, and made an instant impact across the country. Taking clues from Zappa and Beefheart, it is not hard to see why Yugoslavia in mid 70s was shocked by an album where the opening spoken line is the frontman Marko Brecelj (1) asking someone "Excuse me, sir, i'm new to this town. Where is the most appropriate place for suicide?" Or with any other nonsensical lyrics, present on the album. Furthermore, its wacky liner notes in form of a fictional newspaper; with satirical or absurdist stories, gave it a certain irreverent character, so it remains a classic. Note that it was written in serbo-croatian, so its sucess wasn't limited to Slovenia.
Still, nowadays... I don't find that album to be all that exciting. It IS good, for sure. But what was then shocking, would not at all be shocking in the rest of the world, and certainly isn't now. Musically that album is decent prog rock, but in that regard Zabranjeno plakatirati is just more interesting from start to finish.
Track picks: Helga, where Brecelj gets off the leash, or Dobro jutro madam Jovanović, which is just excellent prog rock.
From other stuff, apart from Pljuni istini u oči, there's also an excellent (pretty straightforward for them) track Svaki čovek ima svoj blues.
(1) Marko Brecelj being weird in a good way https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwkrq79gwXY [First added to this chart: 11/30/2020]
Still, nowadays... I don't find that album to be all that exciting. It IS good, for sure. But what was then shocking, would not at all be shocking in the rest of the world, and certainly isn't now. Musically that album is decent prog rock, but in that regard Zabranjeno plakatirati is just more interesting from start to finish.
Track picks: Helga, where Brecelj gets off the leash, or Dobro jutro madam Jovanović, which is just excellent prog rock.
From other stuff, apart from Pljuni istini u oči, there's also an excellent (pretty straightforward for them) track Svaki čovek ima svoj blues.
(1) Marko Brecelj being weird in a good way https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwkrq79gwXY [First added to this chart: 11/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank in 1977:
None
Rank in 1970s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Before Buldožer, Marko Brecelj released this solo album. Accompanied by a big band, with the help of jazz composer and conductor Bojan Adamič, this album is an odd mixture (.. cocktail) of styles. With elements of jazz (big band), blues, rock, folk, chanson. Brecelj's unique lyrics and his black humor are definitely a highlight.
Track picks: Alojz valček (waltz), about a university professor of mathemathical phsyics, who Brecelj blamed for losing interest in his studies. Hiškar Rogač, which doesn't feature Adamič's big band and instead gives a glimpse to future Buldožer days with their guitarist Lovšin providing a guitar solo. Škandal v rdečem baru was always one of my favourites, but there aren't really any weak tracks (in the original tracklist anyway, bonus songs are a bit more miss than hit). [First added to this chart: 02/26/2020]
Track picks: Alojz valček (waltz), about a university professor of mathemathical phsyics, who Brecelj blamed for losing interest in his studies. Hiškar Rogač, which doesn't feature Adamič's big band and instead gives a glimpse to future Buldožer days with their guitarist Lovšin providing a guitar solo. Škandal v rdečem baru was always one of my favourites, but there aren't really any weak tracks (in the original tracklist anyway, bonus songs are a bit more miss than hit). [First added to this chart: 02/26/2020]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank in 1974:
None
Rank in 1970s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
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I like to imagine that Iztok Koren, one of the members of ŠKM (named after Štefan Kovač Marko - a partisan soldier in ww2) Banda, one day brought a banjo to a practice, and other band members decided to humour him for a while, and it kept on going for long enough they ended up including it in an entire album, before finally gathering courage to ban him from bringing it in again. In turn forcing Koren to start a new band with Širom, where he could freely experiment with whatever instruments he wanted.
Anyway. Despite the fact that ŠKM Banda are excellent instrumentalists, it is not until this album, that they really connected their excellent musicianship with actually interesting soundscapes. Banjo does its job... They like to describe their music with a tag "post-jazz", but I think the post-rock label is vague and wide enough to include this music as well. On the album's highlight Jutranji (1) in particular.
Other picks: Tri lejta, Tolažba.
Other albums: They got progressively better, Rdeči is also very good, and 2019's Nuovi sad (top 30ish) is my second favourite.
(1) live: https://youtu.be/l-g8xQFkf8g [First added to this chart: 12/01/2020]
Anyway. Despite the fact that ŠKM Banda are excellent instrumentalists, it is not until this album, that they really connected their excellent musicianship with actually interesting soundscapes. Banjo does its job... They like to describe their music with a tag "post-jazz", but I think the post-rock label is vague and wide enough to include this music as well. On the album's highlight Jutranji (1) in particular.
Other picks: Tri lejta, Tolažba.
Other albums: They got progressively better, Rdeči is also very good, and 2019's Nuovi sad (top 30ish) is my second favourite.
(1) live: https://youtu.be/l-g8xQFkf8g [First added to this chart: 12/01/2020]
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I'm not exactly applying for a music critic position by placing Siddharta on this chart, nevermind this high, but this album, man... Not trying to claim it is better because it was made "before they were famous", but it is a sound of a band still trying to figure some things out, and in turn ending up way more interesting. There are some pretty standard 90s alt-rock numbers here (whatever you might imagine under that label, to me it's songs like Pot v X or Črnobelo). But then there's the saxophone, which played a diminished role in each following Siddharta album, but is featured heavily here, and is also used in the way to help create a pretty unique sound. Apart from lighthearted Farmer, the songs are built on the album's fairly dark sound, which itself complements the slightly enigmatic lyrics. Plenty of people have called their lyrics pretentious, but I think that can be a bit unfair. Not that the frontman Tomi M is a lyrical genius, but at least their lyrics often manage to paint certain imagery that the music is able to match. There's Indija, which (under my interpretation anyway) invokes the perspective of conquerors (hence - Indija). There's the dreamy bored with the world attitude of L.E. Or Siddharta, seemingly about belief in "bigger ideas", maybe belonging to a cult or just religion in general?
Track picks - L.E., Nespodobno opravilo, Lunanai, Le mavrica, Siddharta.
After this album was initially released, they gained loads of popularity, so by the end of the year they signed to a bigger label and released it again with an extra track (decent but unremarkable Stipe). A year later they got the Slovenia trademarked "aging rock star stamp of approval" from Vlado Kreslin, one of the more established names in slovenian music scene at the time, even though his thing was kind of to feature on a track and ruin them (1). So there was a lot of expectation to their second album Nord (2001), but it actually met the hype and is the album that made them properly famous. Some of those most famous songs got painfully overplayed for me (lookin' at you Samo Edini), but a lot of it still holds up (it'd be top 30 here). I love Neon and 01 in particular, and I don't get mad if I hear Platina or Na soncu playing anywhere.
Rh-, while a huge album in my early teens, aged somewhat badly, and its faux metal style that they already flirted with on Nord, really grates after a while. After that my interest for the band slowly dropped, despite some decent tracks at least on Petrolea (2006). But they're still active and some of their songs still got a lot of airplay in the 2010s as well, but that's not for here.
(1) https://youtu.be/M09fuUUmyfg [First added to this chart: 02/26/2020]
Track picks - L.E., Nespodobno opravilo, Lunanai, Le mavrica, Siddharta.
After this album was initially released, they gained loads of popularity, so by the end of the year they signed to a bigger label and released it again with an extra track (decent but unremarkable Stipe). A year later they got the Slovenia trademarked "aging rock star stamp of approval" from Vlado Kreslin, one of the more established names in slovenian music scene at the time, even though his thing was kind of to feature on a track and ruin them (1). So there was a lot of expectation to their second album Nord (2001), but it actually met the hype and is the album that made them properly famous. Some of those most famous songs got painfully overplayed for me (lookin' at you Samo Edini), but a lot of it still holds up (it'd be top 30 here). I love Neon and 01 in particular, and I don't get mad if I hear Platina or Na soncu playing anywhere.
Rh-, while a huge album in my early teens, aged somewhat badly, and its faux metal style that they already flirted with on Nord, really grates after a while. After that my interest for the band slowly dropped, despite some decent tracks at least on Petrolea (2006). But they're still active and some of their songs still got a lot of airplay in the 2010s as well, but that's not for here.
(1) https://youtu.be/M09fuUUmyfg [First added to this chart: 02/26/2020]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank in 1999:
None
Rank in 1990s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 72. Page 1 of 8
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Slovenia composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
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| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1970s | 5 | 7% | |
| 1980s | 15 | 21% | |
| 1990s | 8 | 11% | |
| 2000s | 19 | 26% | |
| 2010s | 23 | 32% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 3% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Begnagrad | 1 | 1% | |
| Demolition Group | 1 | 1% | |
| Orlek | 1 | 1% | |
| Tovariš Strmoglavljen | 1 | 1% | |
| Adi Smolar | 1 | 1% | |
| Širom | 1 | 1% | |
| Klemen Klemen | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Slovenia chart changes
There have been no changes to this chart.Slovenia similar charts
- Top 12 Music Albums of 2017 by 19loveless91 (2019)
Slovenia similarity to your chart(s)
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Slovenia ratings
89/100 (from 3 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
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N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 3 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 95/100  | 12/28/2020 21:37 |  Rhyner | | 99/100 |
| 100/100 | 12/23/2020 11:47 |  LedZep | | 84/100 |
| 100/100 | 12/22/2020 22:58 |  KitchenSink | | 100/100 |
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Slovenia comments
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100/100
From KitchenSink 12/22/2020 22:59
KitchenSink 12/22/2020 22:59
fantastic work, gonna be spending plenty of time combing through this. really appreciate the notes given how few of these artists I'm familiar with
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 19loveless91 12/22/2020 08:18
Sure, it's also pre-independence (1991), if the artist was from SR Slovenia
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
cestuneblague 12/22/2020 04:04
cestuneblague 12/22/2020 04:04
Does this include Yugoslavia?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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