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DVA : Kapitán Demo (CZ,2006-2007)****
This acoustic/electric avant-pop duo has been in existence since 2005. In 2006 they home-recorded 3 cd’s, “Nunovó Tango/Elektro a Kusto” and “Lappop/soundtrack Ice Techno/Lapland Tales”, and “Rings for mobile telephones”, as well as a soundtrack for the German expressionist film “Das Kabinett Des Dr. Caligari”. The Czech theatre company DNO performs „Ledové techno/Lapohádky“ (Ice Techno/ Lapland Tales) with the duo as contributing musicians. The 80 minute cdr I’ve received, called “Kapitán demo/Captain demo” is a compilation of the best of their works, but has more or less the first two albums complete. Used and mentioned instruments are vocals, guitar, beatbox, accordion, loopstation, saxophone, clarinet, violoncello and “others”.
The first demo part, which is the “Tango” release, is their most acoustic project, and pretty much is like a humoristic circus kind of dance, with up tempo guitars, lots of vocal fun, including funny words (-words like penguin and pipidou and fafafe for instance on “Pingu Hop”-) and perhaps lyrics, no matter which language (Czech, German, French), imitating sounds, lip-and-tongue rap, and whispers, and happy sax, really good. Two persons with a multi-track here obviously enjoyed themselves a lot, making controlled harmony of nonsense, art.
On the “Lappop” release this word reminds me of the laptop, of course, but I guess will also refer for some fun reason to Lapland. This is music composed for a theatre show. The titletrack “Lappop” sounds like unplugged electro-pop, while the other tracks also use rhythmical electronic sounds, amongst the previously used word, guitar and sax creativity, in song, now with adding also a few sounds from rhythms, loopstation (looped and reverbed sounds), and just once, an electro treated voice. The result of this section could be a great alternative to the existing electropop/teenybob genre.
This is followed by some tracks from the silent movie “Kabinet of Dr.Caligari”. The music is a combination of acoustic rhythms, and a chamber music feeling mixed with folktronica. The German song “Friend Alan” is in fact a very beautiful, romantic song, using the fun elements completely seriously. In the movie it is a rather directly confronting clip-like moment, at the same time it makes the song memorable. Hearing the soundtrack on its own it is clear how much the group manages to make very interesting music. Another memorable moment amongst the quieter flow is “Opera Eidam”, an instrumental built from a rather mysterious and freightening sequenced sound. All tracks have fresh harmonies and rhythms, and are entertaining with a well produced sound with attention to sounds, and to rhythmical pleasure. There is a returning song orientation, amongst the instrumental tracks.
From “Ringtones for mobile phones” I only have 5 short tracks, which are all associated with specific phone calls, built with electronica, voice, and mixed sounds mostly. This sound like another clever idea-related musical concept, showing a surreal and imaginable and ready to visualize musical world which expresses these calls from a different level of direct translations into sounds and ideas. “An uncle from Tyrol ringing” is of course a rhythmic yodel singing, an “old-time radio ringing” sounds as if the radio sounds makes rhythms of a telephone ring, trying to reach the other.
The demo proves this band is ready for recognition, and I hope they will have a proper CD and distribution soon.
