Milosc - Taniec Smoka

Taniec Smoka

By Milosc

Very Good Condition - Still sealed in factory wrapping

A Review:

I’ve always been one eager to sample new genres, especially if their names or concepts seem strange. So, when I discovered the genre “Yass” on RYM, I couldn’t help but get all jittery inside. Surely, I thought, something with a name like “Yass” has to be some of the wackiest, distorted jazz music born from our minds. Naturally, I had to try this out, so I grabbed this album and gave it a spin. Well, it wasn’t as crazy and out-of-there as I was expecting it to be. But this album is surely eclectic and original in its own right. I see Taniec Smoka as an alternate interpretation on the sound of jazz of sorts. Rather than trying to bend the structures of jazz to their limits like in the works of Peter Brötzmann and co., Milosc tries to play the jazz we all know and love in an entirely different light, mixing in traditional folk and pop sensibilities to provide a fresh take on jazz.

And Milosc does their job well. So well, in fact, that they make the various other instruments used that are uncommon in jazz, such as the accordion, feel like they ought to have accompanied the jazz bandwagon all along. The players are able to bring out the emotions and personalities of each instrument and mingle them together to create an atmosphere that embraces each of these unique personalities and unifies them under the umbrella of cool, laid-back jazz. “Pańska bródka mnie denerwuje” is a great example of this in action. In this song, we hear the traditional saxophone guide an accordion into the picture to take over its role, which it pulls off fluidly and carefully. As a result, the accordion is able to slide into the picture and introduce new colors while keeping the picture’s feel intact.

The compositions themselves are nice too, though they’re not the best written pieces to come forth. The various influences and instruments Milosc melds into their music give the songs a great deal of variety, which they wield with care and dexterity. The band seems to have a knack for knowing when to change up the atmosphere and what to bring in. As such, there’s never too much of anything, nor are there too many things crowding up the atmosphere. This being said, the band doesn’t always pay attention to polishing up the pieces to make them shine. As a result, there isn’t any particular segment that really latches onto the listener’s attention and plunges them into the listening experience. One could say that Milosc are a little too cautious. On the one hand, the band doesn’t run the risk of spewing out something glaringly annoying (and they don’t). On the other hand, their hesitance to truly embrace their listeners shows in the music and weakens the power of their songs. The songs are still very memorable in their own right, though, and don’t fade into background noise at all.

I for one would call Taniec Smoka a hidden gem. While it is by no means an easy album to get into (especially if you’re accustomed to hook-based songs), this album has a lot to offer for those who can get into it. If you’re looking for a fresh take on jazz that isn’t too chaotic, this is the album for you.

Tracklist

01. Taniec smoka - The Dragon dance
02. Maszyna ludzka - Human machine
03. Lezor i Niutnia - Lezor & Niutnia
04. Panska brodka mnie denerwuje (Nie mowiac juz o wasikach) - Your goatee gets on my nerves (Not to mention the moustache)
05. Cardano
06. Chlepcac ciekly hel - Lapping fluid Helium
07. Ordre Omnitonique
08. Lewy Jass - Left side Jass
09. Ostatnie z ludzkich smokow - The last of the human dragons
10. Lzy smoka - The dragon tears

Product details