‘Uca’s Dance’ is MOULETTES' latest single, their second, to be taken from their recent album, ‘The Bear’s Revenge’. The idea for this song came about, when Moulettes’ songwriter Hannah Miller was at a children’s festival in Bosnia in 2009. During the festival, a Romanian fire-dancer named Uca, who was working with the children, performed a dance and Hannah spontaneously provided accompaniment.
However, three years on, we have a single which tells a different story, that of Uca, a fire-dancer imprisoned in a circus and forced to perform, with a dancing bear being a fellow captive, with which she manages to make an escape.
So, great story, but what of the single? The lead track, ‘Uca’s Dance’ is a magnificent Balkan folk song, heavy with cello and violin, and extremely catchy.The lyrics on this really paint the opening picture at the circus: - “So near to me, so far from me now. So near to me, so far from me now/ So goodbye, so pleased to meet you/ You’ve come a long way and we’re here to greet you/ So get the fire burning, you’ve got the spark that lights up the faces of the people in the dark.”
So far so good. Other excellent tracks are ‘The Song You Sing’ which has an excellent violin intro which shows the class musicianship that you have here. This features one of the best throwaway lines I’ve heard recently in a song: - “Well your dress is tattered and your hair is matted.”
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The other B-side is ‘Devil of Mine’ which is a live recording at St. Margaret’s in 2007. This again shows that the band more than punch above their weight musically. The lyrics, again, have a depth of storytelling that is absent from a lot of bands today: -
“It was the darkest of nights, witching hour was upon us/ The wind was biting. My knees were bloody, and I had ripped my dress.”
So, if the single’s that good why only eight stars? Primarily, because three of the six tracks on this CD are completely pointless remixes of the single. This is a waste of time and space on the CD. If this had been released as a three track, or had featured alternative tracks to the remixes, then it would have been faultless. As it is, it is a great single, and the band are currently on tour in the UK throughout December, so this is worth getting hold of, and they are certainly worth a visit or two!
Listen to Moulettes at Soundcloud
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