Artist: Miusow Quartet
Label: Jazz & Blues Records
Release: 2007
Rating: 4.5/5
Miusow Quartet are a relatively new lineup, but they’re no greenhorns. Most of them already have plenty of experience as studio musicians, working with more popular acts. But musicians of this caliber need something more than playing in popular bands. They need a group where they can realize their full potential and put all their songwriting and playing chops to work. With Miusow Quartet, that’s exactly what Andrej Čopar, Marko Brdnik, Tibor Mihelič and Blaž Grm have done. This is a modern-day supergroup that isn’t just chasing fast, technical playing, but above all real feeling, melodies and complex structures that, combined with first-class technique, add up to a truly top-notch album.
Just take a look at their Myspace page and you’ll see how many different influences they have – from Miles Davis to David Bowie, Fantomas, and so on. Those wildly varied tastes show in their compositions too, which are bursting with freshness and countless influences. Of course, the biggest influence is inspiration, not other artists’ music. The melodies come from within them, and even if you sometimes feel you can hear another act in there, chances are it’s pure coincidence.
The album kicks off with a bang. “Skandiranje Skandinavcev” is a proper jazz-rock tune with a good dose of ethnic influences too. The accordion immediately brings to mind the tango of Astor Piazzolla. It’s played with feeling and precision, and there are some outstanding solos on the accordion and the woodwinds. The next track starts out calmer, with a melody on the flute, accordion, light percussion and a bass that sounds like a guitar. After a while the rhythm gets faster and faster, though never as fierce as on the opener. “Alma mater” also starts slowly, but the intensity just keeps building. Here you can hear Balkan melodics, which I’ve always enjoyed immensely in combination with jazz (like with Leb i Sol or Smak). “Cynical” is built on a funky bass guitar groove, further enriched by the tango sound of the accordion. It’s also the only song with vocals. The structure of this one is simpler and the solos aren’t as sharp. It feels like the perfect moment to catch your breath after the grueling (in a good way) first three tracks. Next comes a calmer composition built on a blues melody. But these guys are never going to be satisfied with just the blues. They throw in touches of jazz, tango (at the start) and a few other things besides. Judging by its title, “Šuti bolan” starts out surprisingly with a classical melody, but it quickly shows the title was justified when it switches to a mix of dynamic jazz and Balkan melodics. A real feast for the ears. In the middle there’s a calmer section, followed by a final assault. The accordion and woodwinds trade off again in gorgeous solo moments. The track may not be the longest, but it’s one of the most varied on the record. There are loads of rhythm changes and rapid-fire swaps of melodies. The second-to-last composition is the only longer one on the record. The intro is quiet, but the music soon comes alive. It’s perhaps a bit darker overall than the earlier pieces, but it’s definitely not oppressive. Structurally and rhythmically it branches out a lot, too. This time the accordion gets even more of the spotlight, with quite a big chunk all to itself. And once the solo ends, the whole thing goes to a whole new level. The track bursts into life and the standout moments just keep coming one after another. Later you can hear some Eastern influences, which, judging by the title, isn’t all that strange. Toward the end one of the opening sections comes back, but with different arrangements. And to finish, a splendid bustle of music. The title alone tells you it’s going to be a fast one, and the tempo really is wild. Still, you never get the monotony that so often creeps into compositions this fast. A proper closer for an incredible album.
Every track is a story in itself, and that’s exactly the magic of this new band. Not only do they not copy other acts, they don’t even repeat themselves. Every composition has a completely different approach, different combinations and different genre influences. Their soloing is just as varied. Several kinds of woodwinds take turns with the accordion, and occasionally the bass as well. Not a single solo sounds like another, so there’s no danger of getting bored during the improvisations. Then again, there isn’t a ton of improvisation anyway, because Miusow Quartet stake nearly everything on the songwriting skills of Mihelič and Čopar.
I think the band plays such original music that it would be pointless to list every moment where something reminds me of something else. I hear lots of jazz, jazz-rock and avant-garde influences, some ethnic and world music too, and at times the duels and interplay between the accordion and the woodwinds remind me of the organ and woodwinds in Van Der Graaf Generator. I also notice plenty of similarities with the Japanese band Salle Gaveau, who, much like Miusow Quartet, brought elements of tango into their music through the accordion.
With this lineup I can’t really talk about weaknesses, because they’re so strong in every respect. The rhythm section is phenomenal. Bassist Tibor Mihelič has a feel for every genre – funk, jazz, blues, rock, ethnic, and I could go on – while Blaž Grm is an outstanding jazz drummer with an unusually disciplined style (for a jazz drummer). Mihelič also sings on one song. I have to say he’s very good in that department too, and he can outdo plenty of “proper” singers. Another seasoned member is Andrej Čopar, who delivers some of the highlights on the woodwinds, especially when he and the accordionist trade solos and when they play the same melodies together. Their duets are unforgettable, much like the partnership of David Jackson and Hugh Banton in Van Der Graaf Generator. For me, a really special element on the album is Marko Brdnik’s accordion, which might remind some people of Bradko Bibič’s work in Begnagrad. The accordion often reminds me of Hugh Banton’s organ in Van Der Graaf Generator, but just as often Brdnik plays with a real tango feel, which gives the avant-garde jazz the others usually play a very special kind of charm.
I don’t know how else to praise Miusow Quartet. Maybe by saying that Smejmo se skupaj is currently my favorite Slovenian album of all time. It even outranks acts like Begnagrad, Izvir, Quatebriga, September, Buldožer… With ease. There’s something magical about them, something you simply have to hear. Once they start playing, some kind of cosmic energy gets released, all the chaos turns into order, and everything makes sense. It may still be too early to claim I’ll keep singing this album’s praises down the road, but it feels like every time I listen to it I find something new that blows me away all over again. I get the feeling this album will keep offering me a lot of beautiful things. The muses were clearly on their side.
The graphic design of the CD deserves a mention too. The cover and most of the other pictures show the faces of shop-window mannequins, all with the same goofy smiles stuck on. With that (at least I think so) the band is pointing out that people are becoming more and more alike. There’s no independent thinking anymore, because most of the people on our planet follow rules, trends and religions blindly, like sheep… To some extent, people have turned into puppets. Everyone laughs at the same jokes, everyone likes the same things, everyone shops at the same stores, everyone listens to the same music (read “everyone” as “most people”).
It’s unbelievable that this is the band’s debut album, because it’s downright wonderful in every respect – superbly structured, arranged and played. These guys are no newcomers to the music scene, yet they found a chemistry together incredibly quickly, one that’s impossible to resist. I already know that Smejmo se skupaj will have cult-record status down the line. I don’t doubt that at all. The biggest challenge still awaits the band, though. I’ve listened to plenty of groups who managed one good album and nothing more. I can hardly imagine them making another masterpiece like this one, which Smejmo se skupaj is in my eyes, but if they pulled off an album of similar quality, I’d already count them among the greats. It’ll be really interesting to see what the future holds for them. I just hope they stay as relaxed and tight-knit as they’ve been so far, and then I think there’s no need to worry about outstanding music in the future either. Until then, I suggest treating yourself to some gourmet musical pleasures with this album, which can reach right into the depths of your heart, if you’re willing to let it. A masterpiece!
Line-up
Andrej Čopar – soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone, flute
Marko Brdnik – accordion
Tibor Mihelič – bass guitar, udu, jaw harp, vocals
Blaž Grm – drums
guest: Boštjan Gombač – backing vocals (4)
Production
Aldo Ivančić and Miusow Quartet
Track list
1. Skandiranje Skandinavcev 5:51
2. Njene razprte platnice 6:09
3. Alma mater 7:32
4. Cynical 4:58
5. Blues zaprtih barov 7:06
6. Šuti bolan 5:53
7. Amn’ Ha 11:23
8. Vrvež v mestu 4:50
