Montáž 1996-2014

It's not a greatest hits collection. It's the story of a band. TRABAND'S ALBUM MONTÁŽ 1996–2014 LOOKS BACK ON TWENTY YEARS OF AN EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY 

When Jarda Svoboda entered his song Sáro! into the Porta songwriting competition in 1995, he needed a backing band for the final performance. He put a group of musicians together quickly and largely out of necessity. What he did not realise was that he was laying the foundations for a band that would go on to have a major impact on the Czech alternative, folk and world music scene over the next two decades.

Yet Sáro! is not the only previously unreleased recording featured on the new compilation Montáž 1996–2014. The album also includes Traband's version of Pátek podvečer, recorded during the band's collaboration with Michal Horáček. It quickly becomes clear that this is neither a conventional greatest hits collection nor a retrospective "best of". Instead, it is a distinctive chronicle of a band that reinvented itself several times and managed to surprise audiences every step of the way.

"It's a montage of musical styles, a montage of songs from different periods of the band's history, taken from various studio albums as well as recordings that never made it onto Traband releases before," says Jarda Svoboda. The title Montáž refers not only to the musical content but also to the album's visual concept. The artwork was designed by Jarda Svoboda and inspired by the legendary Merkur construction set. Figures of the musicians assembled from Merkur components appear on both the CD and double vinyl editions, each presented with a different graphic treatment.

From the debut album O čem mluví muži? onwards, Traband's journey led through raw country punk, cabaret inspired songwriting, klezmer influences, brass band experiments and, later, a sound built around the harmonium. Over the years, the band developed its own musical language that defied conventional genre labels.

Montáž 1996–2014 also includes some of Traband's best known songs, such as Vlaštovky, O malém rytíři and Černej pasažér, alongside reminders of lesser known corners of the band's history. There is Milá, recorded during the period of collaboration with Václav Koubek, as well as Druhý břeh, originally recorded for the tribute album Ztracený ve světě – A Tribute to Oldřich Janota. Rather than offering a straightforward chronological overview, the selection invites listeners to explore four distinct phases in the band's development.

"In the end, it's a bit of everything, but with an emphasis on making sure that the four sides of the double vinyl capture four different musical faces of Traband."

During its career, Traband won three Anděl Awards for the albums Hyjé! (2004), Přítel člověka (2007) and Domasa (2010). The band toured extensively throughout Europe and Japan, appeared at festivals including Sziget and Rudolstadt, and became one of the few Czech groups to successfully bridge the gap between the domestic singer songwriter tradition and the European world music scene.

"It was a joyful musical ride that ended at exactly the right moment. A wonderful meeting of energies between several musicians who had the good fortune to travel the world, perform, enjoy life and enrich both their own lives and the lives of others through music and friendship. It was a dream of mine that came true," says Jarda Svoboda. Asked whether a reunion might ever happen, he adds with characteristic perspective: "Traband was a dream come true. But it was also a dream I eventually woke up from."

This new compilation is therefore neither a nostalgic return nor an attempt to revive the past. It is, rather, a reminder of the remarkable journey Traband travelled over the course of two decades and of why its songs continue to resonate with new generations of listeners.

Track listing for CD and 2LP: