It’s shameful that I’ve got “Priložte KarTu”, the second full-length album from these Ruthenian pop-rockers from Svidník (Slovakia) called PIŇAZI DE? only a few weeks ago, but I’d wanted to have it in my collection in a physical form.
So, after a very long time we have met with the drummer Bubo (who is also the unstoppable machine behind the drums in Ruthenian black metal band OBŠAR – interview here), stuff has changed hands and now I am a proud owner of the nice colourful digipack.
First and foremost, I was a bit disappointed with the absence of the band photo (not that I am interested in these guys, lol, but the girls are beauties), however, one can check their pics on their Facebook page , so stop being lazy and check it for yourself.
Anyway, let’s cut the crap and get to the point. The Album.
8 tracks which please every eastern Slovakian heart, and if one happens to have some Ruthenian roots as well, that’s basically a balsam for one’s soul. I am not afraid to say, that – although modern songs with the folk arrangements stemming from the said region (Ukrainian-Ruthenian) are nothing new, these were usually the bands and projects from Ukraine and/or Poland.. Slovak listeners can – and somewhat rightfully – argue against such a claim pointing at the band HRDZA, however, Piňazi De? and their album makes their fusion of modern melodic poprock and folk a bit better. Of course, I am not gonna go to war to defend that statement, but that’s how I see it.
As I’ve mentioned above, the album contains 8 songs. To be brutally honest, some are better, some not so…let’s have a look at them all, what do you say?
“Priložte KarTu” opens with “Z teho kraja” (From That Region), opening with a beautiful female folk chorus, which changes to a vocalist Matyk’s east Slovakian rap style rapping about the life in the Slovak East – and he’s not wrong, haha! The song itself is a summer relaxed track which doesn’t take itself too seriously. But as the introduction to the album and to establishing the overall mood, the song is more than cool. The accordion is the king, no doubt about that.
From number 2 hails “Verná, ňe?” (Faithful, Not?), for a change with a cheeky nod to Jamaica, one wouldn’t expect reggae rhythms with a Ruthenian pop-folk band, but it fits. The lyrics’ explicitness is covered in hints, so us adults know, the kids dancing around the speakers are safe and I don’t have to skip the track. The song itself doesn’t emphasise folk motives, however that’s not the issue, it’s not a requirement for every song, you know 🙂
However, “3 veselé” (The Cheerful Three) gets us to that true Eastern Slovakian hell from the very first second. The accordion blasts, vocals harmonize, lyrics in the Ruthenian dialect (do you feel like decrypting?), here Piňazi De? resemble their Polish colleagues Horytnica. And I like Horytnica, so that’s only a positive thing.
The number is four and that’s a song titled “Keď chcem” (When I Want). A positive mood erupts from the use of the reggae arrangements again, and that’s a sure bet here no one will suffer depression listening to this track. With fun-filled lyrics, which won’t be lost even compared to Slovak rock legends like HEX and the like – that’s, folks, how you make a positive charged album!
“Za štkm sut piňazi” immediately sounded very familiar, which is not a surprise, as it’s a cover of Meja’s “All ‘Bout the Money”, sans the lyrics, which is substituted with a Ruthenian one (and I will be very subjective now, but girls from Svidník sound better than her), a just on a personal note, I was quite surprised by the linguistic differences in Ruthenian language coming from different regions. But that’s something only Ruthenians will pick up.
“Slovenský Háj” (The Slovak Grove) is a fresh sounding guitar work, the lyrics will be understood by all the Slovak people (the language used is the official Slovak language) and with a fitting show accompanying it, I can imagine this track to be a contender for the next Eurovision contest. Seriously.
“Priložte KarTu” is another cheeky wink (but again, only Slovak people will get it) and if I am not mistaken, it’s a song with the very first band video – featuring girls from the dance group Xseven:
Album closes with my most favourite track, “Naša kapela” (Our Band). Rythmic, straight rock with lyrics coming from the heart of a musician – and relates the history every musician knows only too well. It has to be said that this style in a rap metal (or, rap rock, if you wish) track suits the vocalist Matyk probably the best.
And that’s the way to make the album! If the last track kick that hard, you have the reason to play it again straight away.
So, in the end, what else to say… The album “Priložte KarTu” is a confirmation of the right path chosen by members of Piňazi De?
And in the same way, it’s a vindication of the unjustly forgotten east Slovakian regions on the borders with Ukraine and Poland, with a significant Ruthenian minority, as well as a welcome – and necessary – spiritual and cultural injection in attempts to preserve the Ruthenian language for future generations
Nothing less, nothing more, Piňazi De? brings to their listeners an essential album, whether one likes rock or not.
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