Milky Lasers
Voyage

From the small Lithuania comes the collective Milky Lasers, a project aimed at an unusual electro-downtempo, fortified by various contaminations, ranging from 80's electropop to folk, moving through Acid & Nu Jazz (a genre they seemed to have finally arrived at in the sequel "Kitchen"). And although the latter, despite its static nature, presents itself as a more mature and refined work, there is no doubt that it is with the variety and bizarre experiments of the debut "Voyage", typical of those eager to test themselves with nothing to lose, that the four reach the highest point of a brief but already promising career.

The album was released in 2005 by the German label Phazz-A-Delic, and despite being absolute debutants with no musical knowledge, the band knows how to amaze with a fresh and original sound, highly personal and recognizable among thousands (something significant in a genre now quite standardized like downtempo). The meticulous production and the blend of ideas that Sarapovas & company manage to crystallize into tracks that are difficult to categorize, like the ride "Sni Trava", and the lively "Tai Chi", make it an undoubtedly appealing product. The fact that in these tracks, as later on, there is room for Asian echoes, quirky mother-tongue singing, vintage electro beats, and old-school Hip Hop scratches, only reaffirms their positive eclecticism. 

The name and corresponding presentation of the moniker fully reflect the artistic intention of the Lithuanian quartet, who forge a two-faced album: the "softness" of milk is represented by refined and elegant downtempo episodes like "I'm In Love" (the idea of alternating rhodes and folk elements with techno synths works), and the pleasant "Comfort". The power of lasers, on the other hand, is depicted by unpredictable tracks, with pulsating beat-bass pairings (the programmer Julius is very inspired), with funky and danceable tones, such as "Born Again", "My Mood", where the influence of the best Headhunters lingers! There's also room for sounds reminiscent of New Order in the short but intense "Dance Was Over", shining a light on the excellent credentials of the keyboardist Vytis. Towards the end, the more fun and goofy side of Milky Lasers emerges: "Robot Is Also Human", and "Voyage" are the triumph of musical silliness, the singer can't stop laughing, unable to carry forward a very simple verse over an equally simple (and twisted) base.

An eclectic and unique album for 45 minutes of good music; the voices are remarkable and talented, alternating between pieces in English and others in Lithuanian; the only flaw being some often -too- banal motifs, but their subsequent works will confirm that it was certainly not with the likes of "Robot Is Also Human" that they were expected to be taken seriously). For those tired of the usual K&D stew.