Divozemí

"DIVOZEMÍ" (WONDERLAND) is the fourth released album of north-bohemian poet and songwriter Jakub ČERMÁK (alias CERMAQUE), but it is also a first released album of the band that have grown up around him in past two years in Brno. A band called - because of its constant variability - CIRKUS CERMAQUE.

The base of 17 songs on this long album is the lyrics - open, poetic, expressive, emotive, touching the moral philosophy as well as the passion for travelling and love. With several demons, cracked angels and all kind of night-birds participating.

The arrangements of the CD were being prepared for more than a year and they reflect the various concert versions of Cirkus as well as various musical roots of its members. Jakub ČERMÁK says: "It's the first album I have done, that follows the concert practice and our common band's life, travells, rehearsals. That might have effect not only in music itself (the songs had enough time to grow up and settle down) but alsi in its emotions: tha album was made by friends, who live together, eat together, hitchhike together, we busk, we like each other. It is a quit intimate thing..." On "Divozemí" album you can therefore find  vivid, busking songs (Kobylka, Palach, Vodka) as well as more sophisticated, full compositions with rich slavic melodies and instrumental passages (Krkavec, Lorca, Ptáče) or intimate, lyrical prayers (Holubí modlitba, Pasáček Hlaváček).

One of the album's characteristics is definitely its mainly acoustic sound, with almost no effects. The main sound-engineer of the album - Broněk Šmíd - was precisely trying to achieve the most sincere and live sound possible.

"Cirkus Cermaque is a vivid form, always with many - performing or not - people around," says Jakub Čermák about his project. "I still often play solo, or in some band's torzo spiced by its ex-members or friends who know the songs from some night kitchen or bar jamming. It's even funny how many times I have already introduced the show saying, that people you'll hear have never played togehter before... I am more like a 'varieté' manager than a leader of the band."

In therms of genre: album is probably closest to (freak-)folk, but the band says, it is much more influenced by gypsie music, klezmer, world, czech a and moravian alternative or french hip-hop, for example. The main and unifieing principle of the CD is an essay for the most open and sincere statetment possible.