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Uz Jsme Doma - Jeskyne (Caves) CD (album) cover

JESKYNE (CAVES)

Uz Jsme Doma

 

RIO/Avant-Prog

3.96 | 56 ratings

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progpositivity
Prog Reviewer
4 stars It is only because Uz Jsme Doma prominently features trumpet on energetic songs that sometimes emphasize the up-beats that the 1990's infected brain of this Dallas Texas resident keeps wanting to connect musical dots back to "third-wave" USA Ska and/or Latin American music. And although those surface similarities do exist on Uz Jsme Doma's 2010 album Jeskyne,, this music has so much more to offer than that.

Most notably the rhythms are varied and widely syncopated. Ambitious tonality spices up the music just enough to achieve a hint of RIO taste. If you aren't a RIO fan, don't let that intimidate you. This music is very accessible.

I'll go out on a limb and infer that 3 / 4 is the predominant time signature in the popular music of the Czech Republic ? as 3 / 4 (or variants thereof) are the "meat and potatoes" underpinning most of these songs.

The first two tracks lead off the album in a catchy and energetic manner. But it was Track 3 ("Propost") that first caught my ear as something truly special. Although most of the song is in 3 / 4 time, accents make "all the difference" during the introductory sequence: Measure One: Emphasize beat 1 Measure Two: Emphasize beats 1 and 3 Measure Three: Emphasize beats 2 and 3 Measure Four: Emphasize beat 1 Measure Five: Emphasize beats 2 and 3 Repeat

Later in the song we are treated to a passage which repeats 3 measures of 3 beats followed by one measure of 2 beats.

A middle vocal dominated section combines a chant-like vibe with careful use of cowbell. Very different ? and very good!

Navijak (Reel) is an energetic 5/4 tune with nice vocal harmony and no shortage of punchy bass and distorted electric guitar.

Valounek (Nugget) reminds me a bit of the 1980's new wave band Big Country ? if Big Country had a trumpet player, implemented more varied syncopation and a huge dynamic range of course ? so you will have to judge for yourself how valid (or invalid) that reference point it! Facinace (Fascination) Here we get a hyperactive chant in 4 / 4. Bass and guitar play 8 with trumpet answering back for another 8. The syncopated cowbell in the middle of this song is delightful! Unexpectedly, a pastoral passage of acoustic guitar and beautiful vocalizing commandeers the remaining 1:42 of the song.

Stropy (Ceilings) is another standout track. It begins in 13/8. Or it may sound more natural to feel it as two 3/4 measures with a little extra half-beat added at the end of the 2nd measure of 3.

On Mariana (Marianne) a new texture is created by layering an octave lower register vocal line on top of the normal lead vocal.

We have so many 3 measures on this album, that when the band breaks into 4 / 4 on Puklinka, it becomes oddly compelling! The accents are all over the place and they drop a quick 3 measure in sparingly, just often enough to keep us on our toes! The "La La La" sections inject a humor that reminds me of Yezda Urfa.

Special Thanks to Moses for turning me on to this band!

progpositivity | 4/5 |

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