Četvrti album slovenske grupe PSYCHO-PATH dobili smo na pretpremijerno preslušavanje nešto prije njegovog izlaska na svjetsko tržište (19.03.2004.) za mladu berlinsku izdavačku kuću More Noise Less Music. To je prvo izdanje ovih žestokih slovenaca od njihovog angažmana na kazališnoj predstavi Terminal (2001). Ujedno je to i prvo legalno objavljeno izdanje, jer su dosadašnja sva bila "samoizdata" od strane grupe. U nastavku pročitajte neka moja zapažanja o ovom albumu, i još bitnije… Samo za čitaoce Terapije, Melée i Jernej obradili su pjesmu po pjesmu novog albuma!!!

Iako su PSYCHO-PATH od samih početaka gradili svoj prepoznatljiv stil, na novom albumu vidljivi su učinci povećeg druženja s veličinama kao što su GIRLS AGAINST BOYS i QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. Tako je pjesma koja otvara album Kemper Boyd, njihova najbrža i najradiofoničnija stvar, a bazira se na QOTSA gitarskim rifovima, dosad nazapaženim u psycho radovima. To je djelomično nastavljeno i u odličnoj Tough Cookie. Slijede klasične psycho-pjesme Lynch (The) Girl, Homegrown Queen, Mental Body, Sonny... od kojih su neke premijerno predstavljene uživo prije skoro dvije godine TE MIKKa festivalu. Klasični režeći gitarski rifovi, valjajući bas i bubanj uz specifičnu glasovnu potporu pjevačice Melée jednostavno tjeraju na muving i gibanje bar nekim dijelovima tijela.
Uz sigurnu producentsku palicu, već domaćeg producenta J Kella, niti ovaj album nije prošao bez gostiju. Tako se u Weapon of Opportunity, pojavljuje američki hip-hoper Dälek. Ova pjesma, iako neobičnog ritma, vrlo se dobro uklapa u cjelinu i predstavlja Melée u jednom posebnom, mirnijem glasovnom ambijentu. Jedna od pjesama koja također odskače od klasičnog psycho-repertoara je i Crisp Night Air. Kao što sam naslov može predočiti, ovo je atmosferična, više čilauterska pjesma i da u pjesmi ima manje gitara a više elektronike, ova pjesma vrlo lako bi se mogla pripisati nekom trip-hop bendu.
Ovim dugoočekivanim albumom PSYCHO-PATH stvorili su kritičnu masu odličnih prepoznatljivih pjesama kojima će zadržati stare obožavatelje, dok je tu i ponešto novijeg zvukovlja koje bi im moglo donijeti i veću popularnost na globalnoj pozornici. Désinvoltura?
MELÉE: Well, 2 things: there´s the look&sound of the word, which represents a certain sharpness, rawness, toughness, exactness, ´no-nonsense-ness´ and that appeals to me/us and is also somehow related to the way we are as a band and to the way we sound live and on this record. And there´s the specific meaning that Ernst Jünger, the controversial German author, attributes to this word: the state of mind, when you are UNTOUCHABLE, when ´bullets bounce off you´, when you can walk right through a disaster area, with people dying all around you and you come out alive. And this ´untouchableness´ derives from the fact that you have nothing left to lose and hence don´t care if you live or die, so you focus on ONE thing, THE thing in life and just go straight toward it. And you reach it (and subsequently: die). Jünger says this is an attribute that kings & fools posess.
JERNEJ: I generally don´t like giving interpretations or explanations about the meaning of our songs. they are completely open to anyone´s interpretation and therefore i will only state some bits that either served as inspiration or represent a possible, partial version of what the song could be about or is about to me (but even that varies and is supposed to vary, since i believe songs and music to be living organisms that are subject to change).

Loudsneaker / Kemper Boyd?
MELÉE: Loudsneaker is just a sound-bite that creeps up on you like a ´hunch´ and connects the beginning and the end of the record. Kemper Boyd is the first ´real´ song on the record. It´s about living ´hard´ and losing ´hard´ and it´s an hommage to a character from James Ellroy´s "American Tabloid", whose name is Kemper Boyd and who is a ´representative´ of Ellroys very special brand of soft-hard men, which I like A LOT.
JERNEJ: For me K.B. is a song that makes you wanna drive your fucked up car as fast as possible and although you are driving 40 km/h you have the feeling you are on a thrill ride. But basically it´s a song with main/verse chords, then comes the bridge, then chorus, then verse, bridge, chorus again, suspense, twist, chorus, finish and we are over&out...a simple recipy that I/we carry in our "hard discs" and it is a consequence of listening to top40 stuff (in my eyes)...you just got to let it out.

Tough Cookie?
MELÉE: ...is a song about the pleasure of girls...the luxury of dirt...about cleanliness being next to godliness...obsessive compulsive behaviour..autoeroticism ...the freaky nature of ´love/sex´.
JERNEJ: When I came up with an idea and with the riffs the song sounded quite different. Matej and Janez then added an excelent groove, Melée an even greater tune and finally I added some "she lost control"-ish "solo" and some (at least I hear it like that) Beckish gag-solo and that is it. Maybe you'll find the choruses repeating too much, but that was the exact idea: to penetrate one's mind...read the lyrics in the verses and you´ll know what I am talking about.

Lynch (the) Girl?
MELÉE: ...is in a way (but only in a way) a song about me growing up, or just a sort of exemplary ´Entwicklungsroman´ of a girl-wrapped-in boys, growing up INSPITE or AGAINST ...´unkind´ odds...I also find it the most remarkable vocal-wise.
JERNEJ: I think this our maturest song so far...with a nice hook line,both on vocals and on guitar, but what really counts is Janez' superb bass line and Matej´s supporting the guitar and bass simultanteosly, although we play - as we call it - "contra each other"...without this the song wouldn't be what it is... this is the song you need to hear more often, but take care because you can get really really hooked...

Weapon of Opportunity (w/ Dälek)?
MELÉE: Is actually a passive-aggressive ´love´ song, about the kinda love you wanna ´wear´ engraved into your skin and etched into your blood, but couldn´t stand to LIVE it for more than a few... seconds.
JERNEJ: This is the only song that was made in the studio while we were recording the demos. And I must confess that I underesteemated the power of the song in the beginning. Today it really hard to think like that...Weapon is in fact very interesting to play. It is a song with a simple structure but performing it is never the same.

Homegrown Queen?
MELÉE: Could also be seen as the story of...us(?) or as a little ode to all who burn below the radar, the ones who won´t bend over and won´t let themselves be ´rubbed´ clean to suit the tastes of others...or maybe it´s just about some jollygood soulfood.
JERNEJ: HQ is the first song we wrote for - back then we didn't know that -Désinvoltura...it is a simple song, for many listeners it has hit potential...wich is cool. The name of the song reveals something we like to mix with the air we breathe.

Mental Body?
MELÉE: It´s a kinda horror scenario about the brain losing control of the body, about body parts´ separate lives, about schizophrenia on the level of the physical body and about pain thresholds. It also has a certain ´industrial´ feel to it - for me. As far as the man-machine-concept goes...
JERNEJ: the unique chance to hear how the combo of industrial, doom and the neptunes sounds like. thank you very much.

Crisp Night Air?
MELÉE: It´s like the title says: that freezing cold, razor sharp, clear and crisp night air which makes the world stop and let´s you peek behind the scenes of time for a split second ... and makes you promise all sorts of things to... God(?)
JERNEJ: It was really cold that day. Stepping on the snow made a real crispy sound...this song is about the "Wham?" part inside of us...it´s our "Last X-mas" song.

The Greatest Exploit?
MELÉE: The founding ´fathers´, the forming elements and what you have to show for it, when you start to strip (your soul).
JERNEJ: The idea for the intro chords is inspired by soccer fans singing a certain song, esp. in Italy...I would really like to sing it now. And on the end it has this feeling of cheering up your soulmates.

Sonny?
MELÉE: ...is (sort of) related to a pretty cool and pretty gruesome movie called "Heart of Midnight", it´s my hommage to a character from it called Sonny (who is btw. a girl)
JERNEJ: We are Slavs and the instrumental part of Sonny should let you know that. But at the same time it shouldn't...everyone should find his own story or whatever in every kind of art...

Gut Level?
MELÉE: Is a quasi-dialog with a serial killer and a victim´s way of redefining him/herself as the ´active part´ by switching the roles, by taking away the killer´s ultimate control through showing him that he´s just an instrument in the victim´s game - sick, but full of redemptive power.
JERNEJ: If we are in the right mood this song can make us bleed after playing it. It is a fight between man, woman and his or her instrument. And both, instrument and a musician, are a killer or a victim. Just shut up and hit me (baby) one more time !

Hell Out Of Dodge?
MELÉE: Well, that´s the perfect epilogue-song in my eyes, the kind that one might sing when having reached the state of ´désinvoltura´...when you know you´re about the be ´over´, but not before you press ´eject´, not before your promises are kept. But it´s also very optimistic at the same time - that´s the nature of désinvoltura.
JERNEJ: You want to reach the top? You have to do a little climbing. But you cannot start from the middle of the mountain. You have to find your ground zero. It is a song about confessing (to) yourselves yourself...simple guitars, simple beat, strong bass and an amazing tune...for us a pure hit song....we love to play this song live!

Greetings from Psycho-Path ! Come and check us live !
Buy cds, don't burn them, there are cheap ways to get them cheaper .

ocjena albuma [1-10]: 9

pedja // 15/03/2004