Close To Silence

Acoustic versions of the best songs of the band Luno are crystal clear songs that give even more space to the captivating singer Ema Brabcová. You can see the uniqueness of her dreamy vocals on the new record of sixteen tracks titled Close To Silence.

Without rock guitars, electronics and anything that embellishes the sound of the Prague band Luno, suddenly appear clear and beautiful songs and the unmistakable Ema’s voice. This was something that the band was able to verify at an acoustic concert at Akropolis in Prague in January 2014, and then there was only one small step to recording the songs for the album. The selection of tracks is a cross-section of all the albums of the band. The largest number of songs is from the eponymous album Luno, six songs were acoustically adjusted. Luno also recorded two bonus tracks, so the cover of the famous Depeche Mode song Never Let Me Down sounds a bit unusual and the diehard fans will be delighted with the arrangement of the song Vertigo that used to be played by the band Roe-Deer. “We agreed easily on the selection of the songs and also the arrangements came along naturally. Most of the things (except maybe for one) have exactly the same harmony, vocals didn’t need any adjustments, and we were just making up back vocals. We enjoyed it,” says the bassist and founding member of the band, Šmity.

Their first acoustic album entitled Close to Silence was recorded while Ema Brabcová was already heavily pregnant. “Surprisingly, I sang with ease. But I had to be sitting down, otherwise my feet hurt after a while and I was also tired. Some people say you shouldn’t sit while singing. But for me it is extremely convenient. I actually record stuff sitting down. It might be also because of the fact that it grounds me a bit and that’s also what I need:),”says Ema Brabcová. And it is evident from the first note of the recording that the peaceful atmosphere and clarity of the songs suit them. Besides the vocals, another dominant sound is the piano of František Bořík. Acoustic recording was enriched by other guests as well, such as the vocalists Denisa and Simona Katzer or the cellist Terezie Kovalová.

Whether the acoustic version got under Luno’s skin deeper than just for one album and a few following concerts, will show the next album. “The non-acoustic Luno wouldn’t go well with strings on the stage, but who knows:). Soon we’ll work on a new album and I’m wondering which way would we actually go?! :) “says the singer Ema Brabcová.