UPROSTřED SLOV (IN THE MIDDLE OF WORDS)

Considered one of the most interesting progressive bands from the former Czechoslavakia, the band U? JSME DOMA (in English "Now I Get It") formed in the border town of Teplice in 1985 before relocating to Prague. The band has its roots in the previous band FPB (Fourth Price Band) which was a hardcore punk band of lead vocalist / guitarist / bassist / keyboardist Miroslav Wanek who joined U? JSME DOMA in 1986 after the band was started by the saxophonists Jindra Dolanský and Milan Nový along with bassist Petr Keřka and guitarists Ota Chlupsa and Jiří Solar. U? JSME DOMA played many illegal concerts with FBB before the latter disbanded and added Wanek to the lineup. The former Czechoslovakia was a communist state until the Velvet Revolution in 1990 and therefore bands like U? JSME DOMA were considered illegal so the act of performing concerts was actually a subversive act that took on the risk of arrest and possible jail time.

Despite the repressive nature of the former communist block of Eastern Europe, the former Czechoslovakia and its proximity to Germany and other Western nature had perhaps the easiest time of it and therefore exquisitely brilliant bands like U? JSME DOMA were able to develop highly complex music behind the scenes even if performing carried the risk of clashing with the communist state. Although there have been many lineup changes over the years, U? JSME DOMA has existed since its inception in 1985 with a new album emerging as recently as 2018. This debut album UPROSTřED SLOV (IN THE MIDDLE OF WORDS) was released in 1990 and showed the band as somewhat of Eastern Europe's answer to the Cardiacs with a stealthy mix of avant-prog mixed with art punk and the jittery Devo styled hyperactivity referred to as zolo.

UPROSTřED SLOV was originally released on the Globus International label in the former Czechoslovakia and consisted of 12 tracks that add up to almost 52 minutes and the album has been re-released on various labels ever since especially after successfully tours through the US and other parts of Europe where they scratched that avant-punk itch. The opening "Amen" reminds me of the Finnish band Höry-Kone with male baritone choral vocals slowly ushering in the punk fueled ska and funk grooves with lots of oddball twists and turns as well as the ubiquitous saxophone counterpoints. Since Wanek was the primary composer, the tracks have a uniformity throughout the album and despite the newly found freedom for the Eastern block, U? JSME DOMA has chosen to release its album with lyrics exclusively in the Czech language which obviously may be a barrier to some but the music is so infectiously clever that it's really not a detriment to the enjoyment of the album as a whole.

Having connections to FBB, U? JSME DOMA delivers an energetic display of punk with more fine-tuned compositional prowess thus landing this band in the small subgenre of punk x prog affectionally called pronk. On the punk side of the equation this band was heavily influenced by acts such as The Damned, Pere Ubu and the Swedish punk act Ebba Grön. From the prog side of things the band took lessons from not only the highly experimental acts like The Residents but also the melodic nature of the Hungarian band Omega and "Hot Rats" era Frank Zappa. Others have pointed out certain similarities to bands like Fugazi and Men At Work however i find many Cardiacs ideas strewn about. Whether these guys were aware of Tim Smith and company is anyone's guess but some of the compositions here have the same feel as albums like "A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window" with a mean mix of progressive pop sensibilities laced with punk bombast, funk grooves, avant-prog technicalities and zolo spastic outbursts. Add to that some bass workouts reminding me of NoMeansNo.

This is an excellent debut that gives a glimpse into the Czechoslovakian underground before the Velvet Revolution allowed musicians to come out of hiding. This album is a solid example of high energy pronk that is fiery and passionate and accompanied by excellent musicianship and instantly addictive melodies and hooky riffs. The astute uses of various vocal styles also adds varied textures to the overall atmosphere of the album. These guys were much more talented than the average punk band and had the chops to deftly hybridize their punk origins with a more demanding prog workout. In many ways this also reminds me of the prog funk / jazz madness of the debut Mr Bungle album so perhaps Mike Patton found an album or two of these guys. While not as ingenious as the Cardiacs, U? JSME DOMA nevertheless unleashed an exhilarating slice of avant-art punk that should be explored by any fans of the Cardiacs seeking similar bands. Out of the many gifts from the former repressed regions of Eastern Europe, U? JSME DOMA is one of the true gems.