WINE, ZAGORJE, KRLEZA AND GIBSON
A colorful band singing in a specific kajkavian dialect from the hills surrounding Zagreb with an album about alcohol and death
ZAGREB – Wine and music go hand in hand since the beginning of time. In the case of Cinkuši, the Croatian answer to the Pogues, there may even be a code that prevents this colorful band from drinking water.
The odd man out
Though it may not be too healthy, it is difficult to deny that Cinkuši, with their third album Špiritus Sanctus running on alcohol fumes, proved themselves to be one of the most intriguing bands in Croatia. Rock, punk and electric guitar have been carefully woven into the chants of the Croatian regions of Prigorje, Zagorje, Međimurje and kajkavian dialect that can, unfortunately, be heard less and less in Croatia, including the spirit of Krleža's Balads of Petrica Kepempuh, tamburitza and violin. If they seemed like “the odd man out” of the Croatian musical scene until a couple years back, Cinkuši are now seen as an original Croatian part of the international folk-punk and folk-rock scene.
Aunt Liza and B.P. on old age
The most well rounded and well produced conceptual album of the band Cinkuši consists of two types of songs. Those that you can cheerfully drink to with your mates and those you drink to sad and alone. The cheerful antirecession song Medo (Bear), the “fast and furious” Huja Brija and Bela are potential concert favorites. Dolinom se šetala (She walked through the valley) in this arrangement could also be a big hit, just like Mala Cici of the band Zadruga. However, the calmer songs of Cinkuši are even more impressive.
The first song of the album Bratec kosi with its dark and ominous violin that announces a possible incest, the sad Picek (Chicken) and the melancholic instrumental Kak je Štef videl majku bozju (How Štef saw Mother of God) are just an introduction into the three wonderful songs that conclude the album. The unexpected island theme Navigare Necesse Est is stronger than any song we have recently heard from Dalmatia. The sorrow of Sedi si kraj mene (Sit next to me), a beautiful songs about old age with Aunt Liza and Boško Petrović, is as heavy as lead.
Fragrant Pinot Noir
The final song on the album Nenadejano bogčije zveličenje continues from a slow start into a frenetic crescendo as Krleža's verses flow. Although some complaints could be made about the vocal interpretation of some parts of the songs, Špiritus Sanctus as an album about alcohol and death tastes like a fragrant Pinot Noir in comparison to vinegar thanks to an imaginative blend of folk and rock in this weak scene where folk has some entirely different connotations.
Aleksandar Dragaš , JUTARNJI LIST
CONTEMPORARY GUARDIANS OF CROATIAN MUSICAL TRADITION
When you listen to the lyrics: »Zdigel je casu. Spustil je nebo. Videl ju je zato kaj ima cisto srce« (He raised the glass. He lowered the sky. He saw her because his heart was pure.) from the song Kak je Štef videl Majku Božju (How Štef saw the Mother of God) from the third album of the Croatian world music band Cinkuši, it is clear that this is something out of the ordinary, something different and definitely something that the Croatian music scene is still missing.
Even the album's title cannot be avoided, just like the Cinkuši are unavoidable whenever we speak of world music, contemporary music merged with and often fully inspired by traditional chants, melodies ad folklore in general.
We should begin by saying that world music bands in Croatia are guardians of our historical treasure. Not just music, but also written word and old customs that are slowly disappearing, because they can be seen, at least partly, in the traditional songs where they are preserved.
With their new album Cinkuši have fortified their position as one of the pole bearers of the Croatian world music scene that is not particularly rich in performers. However, since the middle of the 1990's, when this six-member band was formed, they are unavoidable in every discussion about Croatian music in general.
After the albums Zeleni kader and Domesticus vulgaris, with Špiritus Sanctus the band Cinkuši has underlined their thematic concerns. Once more they have invited the famous world music diva of Međimurje, 85-year-old Aunt Liza, who sometimes seems to be able to squeeze tears from a stone with her strong, suggestive voice. This time Aunt Liza from Donja Dubrava sings a traditional song Sedi si kraj mene in a modern arrangement accompanied by skillful playing. Once again she has proved her brilliance and the lyrics about aging, experience and a good glass of drink that reflect especially in the refrain: »Ah, toci, naj dremati, nagni, naj sparati/ ce nebus pil bude ti zal/a zutra vec morti pod zemljom bus spal« (Pour, don't sleep. Drink, don't spare it. If you don't drink it, you will be sorry. Maybe tomorrow you will find yourself under ground.) They convey the silent sorrow, the sad joy and the awareness about time that passes on the wings of the rich sound of contrabass combined with the sweet sound of mandolin and striking electrical guitar, as well as the gentle sound of vibraphone played by another guest - Boško Petrović.
However, the fast and rhythmical song Bratec kosi opens the album with its part-singing and convincing, harsh lead vocal. There is no shortage of similar songs on this and their previous two albums. This is exactly what gives the band Cinkuši their direction and the reason why their style was named ethno-punk ever since the early days. That is why you can almost dance pogo – a wild dance that has been attributed to punk since its beginnings as one of its major characteristics - to the song Huja Brija carried by the sound of the violin. However, head-spinning dance and trance have always been associated with folklore music as well. That is why Cinkuši have merged two seemingly different energies and molded it into their recognizable energetic style that manifests at their concerts.
Since Cinkuši have a very active concert life in all parts of Croatia, it shouldn't be difficult to catch one of their shows in your area and witness this fascinating performance. Their next performance is scheduled for September 8th in Zagreb at Amadeo urban music and theatre scene at the Museum of arts and crafts where they have already played earlier this year. On that occasion their audience fell into an ecstasy, which they would gladly try to repeat.
However, speaking of Croatian world music, we must mention the performers who have marked it, especially those who have released their albums this year. One of the youngest world music bands in Croatia Afion has released its new album Cudni svati this year. After numerous concert appearances, they will perform at the Meditereeaneo festival in Ancona on August 30th. Contrary to Cinkuši, who are entirely dedicated to traditional Croatian music, especially that of the northern region of Croatia, Afion is inspired by different sources ranging from Croatia to Macedonia. Melodious and at the same time soft voice of Lidija Dokuzovic mostly relies on the acoustic music of the band whose sound cannot leave you indifferent. Sometimes it soothes, and sometimes it raises the dead. To clarify the name of the band, Afion comes from the Macedonian word for poppy which comes form the Greek word opion.
We mustn’t forget one of the gratest Croatian musicians -Tamara Obrovac. The title of her album Necu vise jazz kantati (I will not sing jazz any more) reveals the thought on which Obrovac and her always fresh Transhistrian build their music. If Cinkuši are ethno-punk, Obrovac and her band are ethno-jazz. They rely mostly on the musical traditions of Istria and the Mediterranean. Their new album, which is a step in a different direction, with electrical instruments and elements of funk could also be defined as ethno-jazz-funk.
Their concerts are a must-see, their skill and tendency to improvise make each of their performances uniquely enjoyable. Because you never know what they will pull out of their hat and turn music in to something it should be - a wonderful and enjoyable experience. Besides that and the remarkable way in which the leader of the band rules the stage, we must mention the unavoidable humor and dialogue with audience. As far as we have seen, no member of the audience is left feeling indifferent after their performance. Among many albums they have released so far Sve pasiva, Daleko je and Transhistria are the best, apart from the one we have already mentioned.
The fact that the Croatian musical web site Muzika didn’t select a pop, rock or hip-hop performer for the best Croatian album of last year proves the significance and strength of world music. They selected the album Kocijane by the world music band Kries lead by the charismatic Mojmir Novakovic. With his former band Legen, together with Lidija Bajuk and Dunja Knebl, an artist of calmer artistic expression and rare musical beauty, he was one of the founders of world music scene in Croatia. Legen’s album Paunov ples (Peacock’s dance) was one of the first and unavoidable world music albums. As soon as it appeared, it was embraced by some members of the electronic music scene, even those that liked techno. Their concerts, just like Kries’s now, were truly memorable. Almost palpable energy that streams through your fingers and feet twirls around in a circle just like the traditional circle dance.
However, Kries is becoming recognizable through its use of electronic music, strong beats, expressive bass drum and specific men’s and women’s part singing groups deeply imbedded in our folklore in combination with traditional instruments like lijerica and cimbalo as well as chants from different parts of Croatia. Apart from this album they have also composed music for the film Konjanik (The Rider) by director Branko Ivanda, recorded one of the best Croatian world music albums Ivo i Mara inspired by the songs about mythical Slavic heroes.
Although our intention was not to name all the performers, we have to add another blues performer from Podravina Miroslav Evačić with two albums and stylistically ever changing Livio Morosin with his Istrian roots. If we were to search for the reason why this music isn’t present on our radio and television stations as much as it should be, we will find it in the fact that quality music is always obscured by the commercial and undemanding in every respect, which means hollow, unimaginative and without any real roots.
World music has that which is the most important – strong roots that you can lean on. Fortunately for the Croatian culture, there is no shortage of those who perform it as sure as we have more than enough musical treasure we inherited from our ancestors. Therefore, we should take care of it with the help of these guardians who are able to blow away the dust, polish it and adapt it. This is why we should give them credit, raise a glass in their honor and take our hat off to them.
Cinkuš means a bell
The world music band Cinkuši has also composed the music for the award winning animated films Ciganjska and Silencijum by the authors Davor Međurečan and Marko Meštrović (the band’s drum player) based on the literary works of Miroslav Krleža. It should be mentioned that Cinkuši are often inspired by the works of this great Croatian writer. Just to clarify the name of the band - in the kajkavian tradition cinkuš means the bell that follows people from birth till death.
Bozidar Trkulja , VJESNIK
AFTER GREAT SEX COMES YET A GREATER DEATH
Špiritus Sanctus is only the third album of the band Cinkuši (Bells) in more than ten years of the band's existence, but here, luckily, it stands that quantity is reversely proportional to quality. Namely, Špiritus Sanctus does not at all fall behind the debut Zeleni Kader (Green Cadre) from 1999 or the fantastic Domesticus Vulgaris from 2005.
The new album presents us the Cinkuši on their already familiar territory, which are traditional Croatian (mostly kajkavian) melodies and descants combined with some modern (rock) elements and arrangements, but the final product is again a hit in the bull's eye. The Cinkuši do not see modern and traditional music as opposed to each other, but as two elements that lean on and complete each other.
Listening to their music, it is easy to imagine a storm over the woods or a meadow, where the onomatopoeic role is played equally by the electric guitar, which conjures thunder, the drums that sound like whirlwind and the violin, which imitates the crying of a little owl or a wolf's howling.
Cinkuš is a name for the bell that accompanies people from their birth to their death, ringing to all important events in a person's life, including one's own very birth – and death.
While the prevalent theme of the album Domesticus Vulgaris was sexuality, it is death and the transience of life that keeps emerging from Špiritus Sanctus. The message: life passes quickly and we ought to enjoy it, rather than waste it on worrying and being nervous. Still, as in Cinkuši's music there is always present some dark underwater current, thus listening to it we can feel all the sorrow and pain of our ancestors given to us in inheritance.
A good example is the introductory Bratec kosi (Brother mows) with its seemingly gentle verses, but also with its melodies that emphasize the ominous allusion to incest. Huja brija is a revel that makes us forget all worries and problems, Bela is an ambiguous toying with words through a story about a card game, and Navigare Necesse Est composes into music the verses of Joško Božanić in the extinct language of seamen lingua franca, more precisely, in the dialect of the island Komiza. Seemingly unusual in comparison to the rest of their opus, this last song actually deeply reflects the very spirit of the Cinkuši's music.
A novelty are two completely authorial songs. The first one depicts (mostly instrumentally) How Štef saw the Mother of God (Kak je Štef videl Majku Božju)owing to his pure heart, and the other one, called Medo (The Bear), covers actual topics such as recession. Both songs easily fit into the rest of the album.
Even though it textually differs from the other songs, Medo's verses are made in the manner of short, but effective and witty folklore riffs that occur in traditional songs (Fear not of recession, of acid rain fear not, fear not of grey economy, fear not if a small willy is what you've got).
Guests on the album are Marijan Krajna and Marko First, whose accordion and violin respectively are perfectly in tune with the rest of the band; then there are Boris Šaronja with his trumpet and Nikola Santro on trombone who bring freshness and another layer of emotions in some of the songs. Let's not forget two legends: a longtime friend of the Cinkuši, aunt Liza, and Boško Petrović, who make their appearance in the song Sedi si kraj mene (Come and sit down beside me).
The grand finale of the album is the song Nenadejano Bogcije Uzvisenje (The Unexpected Exaltation of the Lord) to the verses of the Cinkuši's beloved poet Miroslav Krleža, which perfectly sum all the themes of the album, while the music strongly evokes the atmosphere of the Judgment Day, when all deeds and misdeeds will be judged.
It seems that this year's best releases come from people who, to a greater or lesser extent, combine mainstream pop-rock music with the linguistic-musical inheritance of their region. Besides the Cinkuši, the first that come to mind are Tamara Obrovac, Gustafi and Zan Jakopac (I have probably at this moment unintentionally forgotten to mention some others). It may be that the problem with the so-called urban performers is that lately (with honorable exceptions) they have lost touch with the street and the city they live in, while they restrict themselves to their narrow microcosms and introspection.
It is because of the way the Cinkuši manage to present their own tradition in their own way – without losing any of its magic – that I nominate Špiritus Sanctus among all others for Croatian Album of the year 2009.
Marko Vukušić , MUZIKA.HR
CINKUŠI - AMADEO, ZAGREB, 08.09.2009(CONCERT)
"There is no greater Croatian live band" is the sentence that follows the Cinkuši all the way back from the publication of the small, but influential album Zeleni Kader. It was already then that they earned the etiquette of the Pogues live. But from their days of glory, nothing else mattered when the dust from the stage arose under the band's naked feet. At times they would justify their recognition, but at times their second, not so convincing album Domesticus Vulgaris cast a little shadow. But judging by their new material and the rock approach to world music, things are beginning to fall back into their place. There is no need for drumming for their rhythm beats strongly. The Cinkuši are an effective machine made of experienced musicians who know how to raise an atmosphere and how to rock from the soul. People love them. Their audience is not numerous, but it's faithful. And that kind of audience creates an atmosphere. Now, considering the idea of debauch present in their new album, the band is very much like that on stage as well. They rock on. Krleža would have been pleased if he knew how ably they manage to translate his poetry and apply it in musical context. The Cinkuši have transected their whole career, stayed faithful to their ghosts of the night and rocked it out.
In the pleasant ambiance of the Zagreb club-music summer scene Amadeo (Museum of Arts and Crafts), the Cinkuši have rang their promotion, and now we are waiting for people's reactions to the work of the front-runners of the KAJ Wave.
Jasna Gabric , DOP MAGAZIN
