Live: Morytáty a romance - CD

Živo is a new band of singer-songwriter Ivo Cicvárk.

The band has played in various personnel changes under the name Velký svět (Big World) - their eponymous album from 2013 was nominated for the Anděl Award and their 2020 recording Padá (Falling) won the title of Record of the Year in the Folktime poll. Together with the concept album Morytáty a romance the idea of changing the band's name was born. The pun encapsulates not only the leader and the author, but also the basic emotions that characterize their music. It is music that is alive, changing, pulsating - and above all, singing about stories that mirror various life situations and crossroads.
It may seem paradoxical that an album of Morytáty a romance recorded by ŽIVO would contain stories often dark, gangster, killer. But as Ivo says, in every darkness there is a light at the end, even if it is only the fading screen of a cell phone. The record has an atmosphere like when an orthodox tramp meets an electronic hip hopper by a burning tire in the morning, they listen to Nick Cave and the Ryvol brothers' demos on an old tape recorder, shake their heads and snap their fingers until the bone cracks. Morytáty a romance consists of 11 songs (plus one bonus CD) - epic stories about love, addictions, break-ups, reunions, survival and illusions. Their basis was recorded with pianist, guitarist, singer and songwriter Ivo Cicvárk, drummer Radim Grünwald and bassist Jakub Lutner. At the core, acoustic music is complemented by various electronic samples and loops. Ivo conceptually touches on genres in his lyrics and music, that have shaped him since childhood, so the moods of campfire pirate chants will appear on the record, over a mournful folk ballad, to a drowsy pop, disco and western blues and 70s art-rock. In spite of all this, Ivo claims that this is a folk record, even if folk itself doesn't claim to be. A
because the balladic, story-like album changes its mood with every song, ŽIVO invited a number of guests to the studio. Among the singing celebrities, Robert Křesťan will shine in the song Island Romance or bluesman Darek Neumann as an "old pirate" in Ballad of the Last Storm. Norbi Kovács helped with the guitar solos, Jakub Zomer works his magic on the hammond organ. There will also be cello by Pavel Čadek, unorthodox dulcimer playing by Michal Grombiřík, chanson accordion by Nikolaj Petruk. The female votes were taken by Markéta Tulisová, Veronika Bartošová and Lada Šimíčková. And the list of names must not miss the master of double bass Petr Pospíšil or the bass clarinet of Jan Vashina. The sound of the recording was created in the excellent Svárov studio, and finished in the home studios of Jakub Šimáně and Bronek Šmíd.

Playlist

CD
Romance and Morytáty / Ballad of the Eighties / The First Time / Gangster Romance / Róza / How Would You Love Me / Island Romance / Before the End of the War / Morytát o poslením brechu / Ballad of the Last Storm / Don't Take Me / In Your Cheeks