| On November 17, 1989, a student protest in Prague set in play a series
of events which would lead to the collapse of the Communist government within
a month and return democracy to the Czech people after 41 years of Soviet
rule. By December 3, inimitable Czech avant-rockers Uz Jsme Doma,
a group which had not long before been considered "antisocial" by the state,
was playing in front of 15,000 in Prague at a concert in celebration of the
changes. Soon afterwards, UJD frontman Mirek Wanek found himself drafted
as a leader of an interim government in the band's hometown of
Teplice, cleaning out
corrupt officials, before returning to his duties in UJD. |
 |
"These guys are touring MONSTERS."
--Nils, of Sleepytime Gorilla
Museum,
something of
a monster himself.
Since 1996, UJD has toured extensively in Europe and North America, honing
the performances which have earned them the reputation of one of the best
live rock acts on the planet. The nine tracks on Ears were recorded and mixed
in July and August at Prague's Sono Studios, with Bay Area sound guru Dan
Rathbun (formerly of Oakland's sonic grand guignol players,
Idiot Flesh) at the
controls. Ears finally distills the band's energy in the studio,
producing a concoction as potent as a bottle of homemade slivovitz.
 |
The songs on Ears focus on what goes on (and doesn't go on) between those
two underused organs. Songwriters Jindra Dolansky and Mirek Wanek have produced
their most energetic and involved compositions yet for this new release,
while Mirek's lyrics, sung in Czech, delve deeper into the fears, deceptions,
misunderstandings , and general blind fumbling that cause folk to fall into
and out of personal relationships. Guitarist Radek Podvesky, bassist Jan
Cejka, and drummer Petr Bohm contribute powerhouse backing to the album on
their first studio recordings as band members. |
Since forming in the small Czechoslovakian border town of Teplice in 1985,
Uz Jsme Doma has weathered the tyranny of Communism, numerous line-up
changes, and relentless touring, including performances in war-torn Bosnia.
Featuring Mirek Wanek on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards, and Jindra Dolansky
on tenor sax, the band's music, through a juxtaposition of the beautiful
and ugly, familiar and strange, aims to provoke the listener to feel something
genuine and new; in the famous words of one of the band's inspirations, Franz
Kafka, to be "an axe for the frozen sea inside us." |
