Juviley - How to miss the ground - [Unsigned]

2008-04-19

Being an Israeli is a culture thing, not a gene thing. For a founded proof just push play on the album "How to miss the ground", listen to it for 5 seconds and tell me from where you think Juviley is coming from (if you'll excuse the fact that I kinda gave it away at this phrase's beginning).

Or Zublasky's (AKA Juviley) sound and music don’t seem to come out the old Tel Avivian Florentin neighborhood like most Israeli artist seem to sound, but it sounds as if it comes right out of a the Londonian cold, with rain banging down the windowpane and there is nothing outside but the chill air.

Zubalsky, 22 yrs old, has already done quite a bit in his musical lifetime. He has already drummed for great alternative Israeli artists like Geva Alon, "Dafna and the Cookies", and the more mainstream rock oriented Yoni Bloch. If that's not enough, at that early age he had already decided to quit his blossoming career at his homeland and move on to New York to proceed with his dream. Judging by the consequences so far, he has made the right choice.

Beside the impressive fact that he plays all instruments on the album by himself (acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, accordion, piano, keyboards, the melodica and percussions), it adds to the feeling that every sound that comes out of those instruments can almost be thought for pure magical spirit hovering over them. Or has this beautiful quality of creating the right mix between elegancy and gentle mood on every note and drum swing, getting his music to sound like a beautiful tribute to time and space.

"How to miss the ground" takes advantage of its minimalist quality to bold out the small but meaningful triumphs the songs own. Whether its the ambivalence between the rhythmic and content in tracks like "Another Disappointment" and "Big eyed George" or the moderate build up for the dialogue between Sefi Ziezling's royal trumpet and Maya Belsitzman's Cello parts in "A nice dream", giving it a quiet euphoria.
In songs like "Mexican Rain" (guest starring Geva Alon on Lapsteel guitar), "Muted rain" and "Annie" the guitar parts actually succeed to paint raindrops as the background for the warmth vocals. "Mr. Catfish" is more representative to the influence artists like "Belle & Sebastian" have over Or's music, and it proves as one of the albums most adorable moments.

The closing track "Carry away" reflects on what every true dreamer probably reflects on eventually. Is all this hard work and trouble worth it? Is all that it takes to only try to proceed with your dream really worth while? It's hard not smile while listening to the concluding line for this song, this album actually, saying "Here at last is happiness".

Or Zuvlasky is a rare talent, born in Israel, living in the US and making music that sounds like it comes right of the England. He manages to capture an English melancholic mood in its most natural form. Projecting happiness, sadness, excitement, and beauty - all of this in only 41 minuets and 40 seconds of music.

Roy Povarchik