USI (EARS)

This album was my introduction to UJD, and because of it I've gone back and picked up all their albums before and since. What struck me about it was that it was so completely *different* from anything I'd heard before. Not exactly in a RIO sort of way, although that is there on this album to some extent. It's just the blend of prog, punk, jazz, and RIO all somehow put together in a form that actually works.

This is Jindra Dolansky's last album with the band, and he fires off some of his most incendiary saxophone lines to date. In places they seem to reach through the speakers and grab you by the usi(ears). But this is by no means the Dolansky show, the rest of the band is also great. It's also probably their heaviest album, and some of their best production to date. The melodies, counter melodies and (poly)rhythms are infectious. I don't speak a word of Czech but I find myself wanting to sing along with these incredibly accessible - and yet still complex - songs.

One standout track is Tenký led / Thin Ice for the great complex horn parts and rhythmic complexity. They've somehow stuffed a heavy prog epic into less than 4 minutes. In fact a lot of their songs are constructed in such a way as to give the illusion that they're much longer than they actually are. Usi / Ears is the real epic of the disc, with the crazy gang vocals and frenetic instrumental section. Pot / Sweat is another of my favorites because of the crazy rhythm/time signature and the stabbing saxophone solo.

I give it 4 stars. Like all UJD discs, it may take a few listens to "get it" but it's well worth the effort. The downside is that it's a bit short and isn't really their proggiest effort. It may be the easiest to get into if you're new to the band though.