The third album of Taxi Consilium comes in its own shape. Just like how the first two are completely different from each other, this one also arrives as a whole new version of the quartet.
From the very beginning, the album leans into longer drone sounds, the bass resembles the tone of artists like Peter Eldh with those deep, heavy bass lines. What connects all of their albums is that the rhythm section always feels heavy and deep, while the guitar and bass clarinet have a more playful energy on top.
Every track holds an emotion that’s tightly connected to its name. The names seem carefully chosen, almost as if they guide the way one should feel the music. What the band has written in their description really explains why every track carries so much inside it. Imagine yourself as a taxi driver, collecting stories from different people, and as an empath, being able to feel their pain. Every track is a different ride. Sometimes you collect sadness and melancholy, and sometimes you get a sense of relief.
The third track — Mouths moving but nothing coming out — gives off a soothing vibe. It feels like finding your own value, no matter how much the mouths move; what really matters is what’s being heard. In this kind of instrumental music, mouths don’t matter at all, it’s the sound that heals the soul, helping you come back to your own truth.
The enjoyment that Taxi Consilium’s music gives is very rare, something you don’t get from many full albums anymore. For me, it’s been a while since I could listen to an album and vibe with every single track. It’s got that underground, dirty sound, yet it’s deeply satisfying for the mind. Usually, when I listen to an album, one track immediately becomes my favorite. But with this one, it was hard to pick.
Still, as the longest one, I’m choosing [orel cat at the door]. It’s another unusual moment for this kind of jazz record, the track starts with a long ambient intro (and a cat sample, but pretty enjoyable for cat lovers). If I connect this to what I mentioned earlier about the taxi driver collecting stories, this track feels like the longest ride, and definitely the strangest. Maybe a mysterious cat-person is in the taxi. Not the playful child from “children longing for discipline,” but a mystic, someone with a deep inner world. When I write about Macedonian releases, I often try to point to something from the surroundings that might have inspired the artists, since I’ve felt those environmental influences very deeply myself. This one definitely comes from nature. It has an organic, earthy feel, and its slowness captures all those sunsets on mildly rainy days out in the open.
After that, the album continues with the familiar Taxi Consilium energy, that uplifting rush they bring to every live show. If you’ve seen them play, you know exactly what I mean: the joy and intensity they create wherever they go.
Possibly the best Macedonian release of the year so far, Workin’ for the other side — even though it carries the name of a snitch, feels like it’s got a bright future. One of the most innovative bands to appear on the scene, making music that’s entirely erratic, with every instrument uniquely voiced by its player.
This review is cross posted with mono-ton.com.
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