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Monika Načeva –  zpěv [2]

Review :
Sestra (Sister) is Psi Vojaci's  first album for the post-Velvet revolution Czech label Indies. For this occasion, Filip Topol's group reunited with  his brother, writer Jachym Topol, to create their strangest CD of the 1990s.  Many unusual elements single it out, but the most obvious remains the singer's  use of a synthesizer (and a cheap one: a Casiotone MT-88) instead of the piano.  He manages to do incredible things with the machine, from post-new wave melodic  lines to vaguely avant-gardist ambient sounds. Nevertheless, anyone familiar  with his later albums (either with Psi Vojaci or solo) will have to reset their  expectations. The music establishes a bridge with the group's material of the  early '80s, blending poetry recitation over experimental backgrounds ("Vlcí Sen,  Do Mestra, Jiny Príbeh," "Je Tam"), warped rock-in-opposition songs ("Ráno,  Porád"), and more straightforward rock numbers ("Ohnivá Voda" recalls J.J.  Neduha's music of the same period). The absence of Topol's hammered piano chords  opens up the sound spectrum for the other musicians, resulting in more room for  saxophonist Jirí Jelínek and guitarist Ludek Horky. Unlike some of Psi Vojaci's  other albums from that period, Sestra truly sounds like a group effort, thanks  to the rock drive running through it. Listeners looking for Filip Topol the  singer/songwriter could feel disoriented here. Fans of Plastic People of the  Universe, Extempore, or even Uz Jsme Doma might consider Sestra to be the  group's best effort of the decade.
~François  Couture, All Music Guide

Bio :
The Czech rock group Psí Vojáci is one  of the major acts that started in the underground during the Communist regime  and became successful after its fall in 1989. The group is dominated by  songwriter, singer and pianist Filip Topol, a charismatic character who shares  similarities with English singer Peter Hammill, both in his writing of literate  yet powerful art songs and in his stage delivery. Drummer David Skála and  bassist Jan Hazuka formed the core of the group from its beginnings up to the  early ‘90s, when the latter left and was replaced by Ludek Horky. Guitarists and  saxophonists came and went.

The name Psí Vojáci means "Dog Soldiers." Two  explanations, both of a literary nature, circulate about its origins. Some say  it comes from the title of Robert Stone's 1974 novel. Others attribute it to the  name of a Cheyenne  tribe in Thomas Berger's book Little Big Men. In any case, there is a connection  to Native American history, a favorite source of inspiration for the singer.  Topol, born 1965, made his first professional appearance at a concert by The  Plastic People of the Universe in 1978. Soon after he formed Psí Vojáci with  schoolmates Skála and Hazuka. Big brother Jáchym Topol, who would become an  important Czech poet, fuelled the group with lyrics. They gave their first  performance at the ninth Prague Jazz Days the following year. At first, the  group's sound had something of a punk attitude, even though the repertoire  consisted of complex pieces steeped in the romantic music of latter-half 18th  century. Its name and its harsh lyrics against the State (sung with conviction  by a 14-year old) soon earned the group an interdiction to perform — it gave its  last authorized concert on June 23, 1980.

For the next few years Psí Vojáci laid low,  recording three albums (Psí a Vojáci, Baroko v Cechách, Studio 1983-85, all  reissued in 2000) that circulated as illegal cassettes. In 1986, the group was  allowed to break out of the private underground parties circuit and perform  publicly under the name Psí Vojáci Osobne, building a strong cult following in  Prague. By then  though, Jáchym had joined the group Narodní Trída, so Filip began to write his  own lyrics. Following the Velvet Revolution of 1989 the group began to release  albums at a quick pace, starting with the EP P.V.O. (Panton, 1989) and the  full-length Nalej Cistého Vína (Globus, 1991). In 1993, Filip Topol starred in  Zdenek Tyce's film Ziletky. A year later he reunited with his brother to write  Sestra and in 1995 released his first solo album, Sakramilácku. In 1996 the  group re-recorded its classic songs for Národ Psích Vojáku. After the release of  the disheartened Horící Holubi that year, the singer had to take a break, his  health problems overtaking him. Years of alcohol abuse led him to the operation  table, putting the band on hiatus. Back to a trio version, Topol, Skála, and  Horky came back in 1999 with the album Mysi v Poli a Jiné Príbehy and have since  found some international acclaim, performing in Belgium, France, and the US.
~François  Couture, All Music Guide.