2021, SOME GREAT POLISH ALBUMS: BŁOTO, FISZ EMADE TWORZYWO, MUCHY, SOKÓŁ.

2021 has been a fantastic year for Polish music. I hope to worthily represent it through these four albums I picked (Fisz Emade are a longtime love for Soviet Sam, but the other three are all new entries, despite having solid careers behind them).

Błoto - "Kwasy i zasady"

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

Born as a spin-off project of Polish jazz ensemble EABS, they soon developed into a full-time band. Entirely recorded live in studio in just one take, this is their third album in two years, and probably their best one.
File under: nu jazz, jazz fusion;

try it if you like: hypnotic beats and nocturnal atmospheres.

Fisz Emade Tworzywo - "Ballady i protesty" (no. 1 on the Polish album chart)

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

Probably their most ambitious album (18 tracks, 97 minutes), equally divided among introspection and sociopolitical commentary (Fisz is particularly critical of the current Polish government, and I would say rightly so).

File under: hip hop, downtempo, art pop, indietronica;

try it if you like: eclectic albums which are able to encompass a huge variety of styles.

Muchy - "Szaroróżowe" (no. 22 on the Polish album chart)

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

First album after a seven years hyatus for the band led by singer and guitar player Michał Wiraszko.

Their alternative pop music is as epic as ever, even thanks to an impressive set of collaborations: Emade (producer), Hey's members Paweł Krawczyk (producer) and Katarzyna Nosowska (vocals: track 2), jazzist Monika Borzykm (vocals: tracks 3, 5, 7, 9), Bela Komoszyńska from Sorry Boys (vocals: track 1), Lady Pank's Jan Borysewicz (lead guitar: track 1), Republika's Zbigniew Krzywański (lead guitar: track 11).

File under: indie rock, jangle pop;

try it if you like: powerful riffs and grooves, ethereal atmospheres.

Sokół - "Nic" (no. 1 on the Polish album chart)

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 231-280)

One of the most important Polish rappers. This album, entirely curated by expert sound engineer Rafał Smoleń, is his masterpiece.

Filder under: hip hop, wave music;

try it if you like the concept of rap music being influenced by synthwave.

VIDEO SECTION:

FISZ EMADE TWORZYWO - "DRONY" (2016)

If you liked Fisz Emade Tworzywo's previous album, "Mamut", you should listen to this one too. The atmospheres are quite similar, with electronic downtempo rhythms, mysterious keyboard sounds, and a melancholic but tense mood throughout the tracklist. "Kręte drogi" is probably the best song they ever made, with those beautiful mystical voices above an impressive foktronica background.

The album debuted at no. 1 on the Polish chart. 

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

FISZ EMADE TWORZYWO - "MAMUT" (2014)

FISZ (Bartosz Waglewski) – vocals, lyrics
EMADE (Piotr Waglewski) – beats, composition, production
Marcin Pendowski – bass
Mariusz Obijalski – piano, organ, synth

Fisz and Emade are the sons of Wojciech Waglewski, one of the key figures of Polish alternative scene, who introduced them to art and music. 

Their career began at the end of the Nineties, with a series of hip hop projects, then they gradually opened to other styles of music, releasing a couple of experimental rock albums along with their father too. 

"Mamut" is the duo's most melodic album up to that point. With the exception of two songs featuring DJ Eprom, there isn't any rap.
Instead, you will find trip hop beats, slow noir ballads, uptempo songs with alternative dance arrangements, synthesizer and piano lines, and lots of beautiful melodies. 
Justyna Święs sings on three tracks ("Pył", "Ślady", and "Wróć"), while Kasia Nosowska 
from rock band Hey features on "Wojna".

The album reached no. 9 in Poland, staying in the chart for 32 weeks as of today.

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)