IVA BITTOVÁ

I would say that the people who are most likely to enjoy this album are those who like quiet experimentation in their music and/or those who enjoy entirely acoustic ensembles. I'm fairly sure it would appeal to a rather wider audience as well. Definitely an excellent addition to your collection, and a nice way to step away from the normal avant sound (as if there is such a thing, anyway).

Album's opener "Kočka" ("The Cat") is a great visit card of all album - minimalistic acoustic composition with Iva's scratching vocals, absolutely influenced by early Kate Bush, but played in avnt-pop key, with Arabic folk influence, brass and bluegrass acoustic guitar.

Then, listener will hear all the line acoustic guitar-led compositions, combining avant-pop with bluesy roots, Middle East singing techniques, violin sketches , regulated cacophony of minimalistic sounds. And - her Gypsy roots music, Slavic folklore, free jazz elements, Balkan fusion, etc.

The last album's composition ("Kazu") is free jazz world improv.

Happily, incorporating so many different elements in her music, the sound stays still very atmospheric and almost minimal. No overuse of instruments or arrangement at all. Great album from one of the greatest Eastern European folk avant fusion artist.

Through the album we're introduced to variety of instruments, each track has different basis, theme, lead instrument and genre, even all of them are acoustic, everything here sounds perfectly crystal clear, so it helps too.

There will be no horror at all, nothing extremely Avant Garde so that you would be scared to death, nothing negative in this way (even I'm aware that some people profit from negative feelings and transforms them in good waves of energy - oh, I don't like speaking about this stuff). Absolutely no, because this album is calm, acoustic and even so called "dramatic moments" are dramatic in only calm sense of this word. Don't expect classical music twists in pace and melody.

Because this music simply flows. It's one of these wet, watery, river-like albums.

4(+) and because of this I like it.

It's a compilation and as such I don't like them by default. But this is something like unreleased pieces so everything is alright.