A CD that begins with a Jew's harp and includes a piano and native flute version of "The Pink Panther" is difficult to classify. This group of Czech musicians, whose name translates as "The After Death Experience," is a strange group, but an appealing one.

Posmrtne Zkusenosti is virtually unknown in the U.S. They have been playing together over 10 years, with various personnel changes. This is their third CD.

The music on Aither includes pop, folk, jazz, world and appealing ballads like "Adelka." There are 19 tracks, none over five minutes long, and three are less than a minute.

There are many different types of instruments used, both acoustic and electric. Samples, programming and beat boxes are used in conjunction with hand clapping, finger snapping. didgeridoo and numerous forms of percussion. Many of the tracks have male and female vocals, usually in unison.

There is one song with English lyrics that include," Are you ready ... to be a cool daddy?" The words are silly, but the song is cool, daddy, with its mixture of Eastern beats and percussion, B-52-style female vocals and groovy keyboard sounds.

The printed word cannot do justice to this CD. Electro-pop might be the way to describe it, with its likeable melodies and frequent use of synthesizers and beats. On the other hand, how often do you hear a Jew's harp or the moo of a cow in dance music?

I'll just say that this is a CD full of surprises. It is world dance and pop music like you have never heard.

by Dave Howell
Rambles.NET
24 February 2007