Armed with a Casio CT-615, a microphone, and an imagination, Nicholas Wintzler, a Slovakian artist and musician, is able to conjure colorful, child-like images of emotions, both good and bad, as well as spin heady and psychedelic tales in his native Slovak language all on his latest release, Sú to iba pesničky. Much of the same DIY style approach is there with his music, always staying with a minimal approach, and in the past not as fully structured (previous reviews 1, 2). This time around, Wintzler takes his time and let’s his thoughts process through each song, really letting them build and turn into what they are now, a unique, charming, and incredibly catchy album.
Right from the start I’ll be the first to say this album isn’t for everyone. There isn’t one label or genre one can slap a label on this album, I feel like it’s a unique audio portrait Wintzler paints. A personal look at the colorful imagery that lies in his head. When looking at his past releases, they’re much more chaotic. Like he threw up all over a keyboard and created these strangely unique audio compilations of his imagination. I’ve spoken with him about his approach when making his music, and typically that’s how it’s done. It’s a quick explosion of emotion and sound that gives the listener a whiplash of audial color. This time around however, he explains to me how his intention was to make his version of a proper album with structure and flow and some sort of coherence. With that personal mix of improvisation and hard focused structure, the end result comes close to something like Kurt Cobain’s demo home recordings, or Daniel Johnston’s DIY albums, where the crude yet naïve charm shines through in his simplistic melodies conjured from his Casio.
Songs such as the third track Mucha letí cez sklo (A Fly Flies through the Glass), the fifth track Abeceda zjedla deda(The alphabet has eaten a grandfather), and the second the last track Jarná, all capture that charm perfectly. Especially the third track, his buzzing fly impersonation and psychedelic melody makes for this really trippy but catchy tune that takes this everyday situation of a fly trying to escape through a closed window into a whole experience that a normal person wouldn’t think of. If there was one single off the album, I’d choose that one. All in all though, I wouldn’t suggest this album to just anyone. I would definitely suggest this for those who are more open minded and willing to get through tracks that are not typically structured. But, if there was only one album by Wintzler that I would suggest, it’d be this one as it’s the most approachable from a purely musical standpoint. It’s an experience all around, and it’s only enhanced by the visual components that were made along side this album, and all his others. Give it a shot if you’re looking for a new experience.