CD review: Brave Combo’s Polka’s Revenge

"If it's not schottische, it's CRAP!"

by John P. Meyer

Brave Combo's own bio page describes the alt-Polka quintet as - among other things - "a deadly serious novelty act," and this is probably just how they come across to the uninitiated: Czech music's answer to Weird Al Yankovic. With polka-infused covers of songs such as Pete Townshend's "I Can See for Miles" and their schmaltzed-up version of Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (or, as band leader Carl Finch has restyled it, the "Joy Waltz"), I imagine many who come cold to B.C.'s Polka's Revenge might take these musical troopers for some kind of comedians.

But that would be to ignore the band's unique ability to combine a love for traditional polka (and waltz, and schottische) forms with a genre-smashing, energetic musical playfulness that challenges the listener not to like it - regardless of their predilection. Combined with a consummate musicianship, this flexibility of style has kept Denton-based Brave Combo chugging along (ONE two three ONE two three) for over 27 years.

The Polka's Revenge CD contains of 20 songs, both with and sans vocals, four of which are original material (i.e., "The Denton Polka") with the rest running the rather disconnected gamut from traditional polka ("Picnic Polka"; "Holiday in Poland") to Cajun ("Cajun Danish") to I don't know what exactly ("Swir, Swir, Oberek" sounds like some kind of bohemian hip hop - I almost said bohemian rap, but that was too close to this.) Deserving of special mention are the impossibly staccato horn licks pulled off by trumpeter Danny O'Brien on "Crystal Pearls." (Danny me boy, give those lips a rest!)

I'm not sure how they came up with the title "Polka's Revenge," but according to the press materials accompanying the CD these pieces were selected to demonstrate "the power of polka" - and that they do. When the writeup goes on to describe the selections as "celebrating the tension and release, the power and passion that defines polka," it may be overstating the orgasmic nature of the listening experience - but not by all that much.

Novelty act? I don't think so. When the Brave Combo crew ask you musically to "polka on with all your might" or "kiss me, sweetheart," they're not just whistlin' Dixie - they're dead serious. And as for Dixie: they just might put that to a 4/4 beat, mix in an accordion and record it for their next album.

You can attend a CD release party with B.C. and their fans at J & J Blues Bar in Fort Worth on Friday, Aug. 17.