Kvety
Brno, South Moravian Region, Czech Republic
Music
Press
A year and a half after the release of "Strela zastavená v jantaru" (Shot Captured in Amber) the band Kvety ('Flowers') has come up with a new album entitled "Myjau". It was produced by ever more popular Ondrej Ježek and features Lenka Dusilová as a guest. These two factors gave the album a little different sound. In any case, Kvety are another batch of their original and sensitively captured views of everyday life.
The previous album, "Strela zastavená v jantaru", was like flowers of late Indian summer on a clearing in the middle of the woods: withered bluebells, rusty dry St. John's wort, rosehips, golden grasses swaying in the gusts of first chilly wind: melancholic, tranquil, and organic space. "Myjau" is different, more energetic. It's like a lawn in spring: livelier, more vigorous, stronger but also gentler, with fewer unexpected twists and turns. Kvety seem to have gained self-confidence, matured and developed towards greater refinement.
The most apparent and most easily noticeable change is the presence of a new member, violinist Albert Novák. It is perhaps due to his instrument – a very prominent one on the album – that the album sounds more confident and refined. Even Martin Evžen Kyšperský's singing seems less expressive. All that makes "Myjau" more straightforward and down-to-earth, yet quite interesting and clearly presenting Kvety as we have known them before.
Kvety remains an alternative and constantly experimenting ensemble. They continue to use dozens of instruments, including many unusual ones – they play a revolver drum, car horn, metal chain, cowbells, and an egg, for instance. On the new album, the individual sounds fit better together to create a more compact whole, do not protrude too much or surprise. The instruments are all in place to produce clearer songs with distinct melodies.
The current album, which comes out both as a CD and a vinyl record, features some new guests: Lenka Dusilová took over from Marta Svobodová as a singer in two songs. Ondrej Galuška played the trombone, while Ondrej Ježek, besides being a co-producer, played seven instruments throughout the album.
"Myjau" is an onomatopoeic word for feline greeting and expression of surprise. The album can be treated likewise. One will greet it and, after the initial surprise, exclaim with joy over the fact that such original bands issue their records. It is nice to know that Kvety are not wilting and loosing their natural fragrance even after so many years.. They continue to collect collect splinters of everyday life and pass them on. They do not explain, mentor, or advise. They bring you the colour washed down from true stories of today. And they are doing so with their typical lightness as they have been doing for years.
- Honza Pruša - Musicserver.cz,
Discography
The band has recorded one single and 7 albums with repeated editions, contributed some special recordings to several other albums (Brno – City of Poets, For Semafor, Lost in the Worlds - Tribute), and participated in John Cage's project.
Myjau (2009)
Strela zastavená v jantaru (2008)
Kocourek a horecka (2006)
Jablko jejího perí (2004)
Daleko hle dum (2003)
Paloucek (2001)
O cervené Karkulce (2000)
Photos
Bio
The band KVETY was founded in the very end of 20th century. The first group has prepared two mono thematic programs. Those were two musical fairy tales “Red riding hood”, 2000 and “Paloucek” 2001. Both shows were recorded on records published by them. The second one has recieved the Demo prize of 2001 in freemusic.cz.
In the year 2002 a new drummer and multi instrumentalist Aleš Pilgr comes to replace Michal Navrátil and the band is recording the album “Daleko hle dum“ (2003, all sold out during the years, reedition in Amakvaré records, 2009). The group starts having concerts more and reduced to men only trio publishes its first official album called “Jablko jejího perí“ (Indies records, also for all the following albums) in 2004. Concerts are piling up; the group goes to Serbia, Austria, Poland and France. The sound is also changing slowly and that’s why the Paris concert is the last one with violoncello and new member is joining the group - the guitarist and contrabassist Ondrej Cech.
The group is often seen on TV and heard in radio. The video Circus is even famous in American TV broadcasting. The band Kvety has coming and going coworkers such as the photographer and filmmaker Petr Hegyi, the art director Pavla Kacírková, the singers Marta Svobodová and Dorota Barová, the programmer and designer František Eliáš, the sound master Bronek Šmíd and the manager Petr Zavadil. In circle of these people the group intensely performs and also records the trilogy “Kocourek a horecka” (2006, awarded with the Andel prize for alternative and independent scene) – “Strela zastavená v jantaru“ (2007) – “Myjau“ (2009, and they won the same prize like a few years ago). The last album was recorded with a new member of the group, Albert Novák, the outstanding violinist and also the extra-legendary producer and sound master Ondrej Ježek.
Links
