There is a moment in Ratatouille where a bite pulls the critic completely out of his own world and into something else that feels safe. “Vanishing Act” does something similar, to me at least.
From its opening notes, Levi Taschuk creates an atmosphere that draws you in, making it feel less like listening to a song and getting transported into the setting it wants you to be in.
The classical jazz fusion flows so beautifully without ever doing too much. It felt surreal how it can immediately draw you in when you’re wearing your headphones, and it sets in.
The double bass from Carmen Quill, alongside Gabriel Birnbaum’s saxophone, gives the song a quality of a past era; it left me ruminating after, alongside Connor Mead’s drums that hold the track together and flow with the lyrics. It feels as though it’s in a different time period, given the superficial songs that we see being made for TikTok algorithms in a new time for many. It’s such a beautiful track that’s captivating for anyone, and a new sound with a fresh idea.
When the vocals finally arrive, it’s all worth it. There is a range to Taschuk’s voice that feels genuinely surprising, reminiscent of Matt Maltese at his most expansive, and it gives the track that weight that makes it flow to the end.
“Vanishing Act” is a song that’ll pull anyone in, and leave them feeling enamored by Taschuk and his band. If you want to hear more of his work, please check out “Benefit of the Doubt”.
Written by Anthony Perez
