Kwiat Jabłoni – Mogło być nic – album review

2 years and 4 days – this is how long siblings, Kasia and Jacek Sienkiewicz from Kwiat Jabłoni had waited for their second music album. Stylistic bond between the album and their previous CD, ‘Niemożliwe’ is clear at the first sight, but there are also very straight forward differences. The new album doesn’t copy the first one; doesn’t reap the benefits of it, and in many aspects is more developed.

Kwiat Jabłoni is a duo that couldn’t be mistaken for any other music band on the Polish scene. The success of ‘Dziś późno pójdę spać’ (watched over 25 million times on YouTube) has shown that contemporary music doesn’t have to be electronic, and avant-garde tunes, with a folk touch, are warmly welcomed to the pop scene. After a two-year break, the artists had faced a challenge: how to play music the same way but without copying or using the same solutions? How to strengthen their position in the industry and show their attachment to pop music, and not be monotonous?

‘Mogło być nic’ is a well thought trough list of 12 songs that keep you entertained. On one hand it is what we already know, but on the other, every sound is astonishing. It is lyrical and dancing; we can hear both catchy choruses and impressive instrumental parts.

Kwiat-Jabloni

Kwiat Jabłoni, fot. Robert Ryncarz

New album of Kwiat Jabłoni – ‘Mogło być nic’ in the shadow of pandemic

The time of release is not accidental at all. In interviews, Kasia and Jecek Sienkiewicz assure that some songs have spent a couple of years inside a drawer. In spite of that it sounds really up to date – we can hear how tired they are of restrictions, distance and continuous disinfection. In those terms, the most touching is ‘Przezroczysty świat’ song, from which we get to know how much the pandemic has ruined their plans.

A gdyby tak, choć jeden raz

Nam się zatrzęsła Ziemia

Przerwała sen, oderwała nas

Od niechcenia

It is quite obvious that the coronavirus has happened in the worst moment possible. In March 2020, Kwiat Jabłoni was in a place where they didn’t have to seek attention and could thrive in popularity. So what has changed during those two years between releases of the first and second albums? Basically everything – the duo has caught the wave; they can stop worrying about allegations of becoming famous because of their father’s recognizable name, and… in fact have an audience of their own. The time between releases was full of events. First, a huge success of ‘Dziś późno pójdę spać’ song, then concert on Pol’and’Rock Festival, followed by a tour that ended on the festival’s stage again with a special performance of Złoty Bączek award.

Where Heidegger meets the Moomins

There are many reasons to be delighted with the artistry of Kwiat Jabłoni. The band is most often praised for their arrangements that use folk motives and for how they can add a fresher context to them. On top of that, there are very metaphorical lyrics, which are undoubtedly unique in today’s music world. The song ‘Mogło być nic’ is indeed a very interesting phenomenological insight into a sense of being; a Heidegger’s dasein in full; an attempt to understand what the reason and sense of our existence are (concluded by the fact that there is no sense of ruminating about this world, but we rather should act).

I to zapiera dech, że jest coś, a nie nic

Gdy budzisz się, to nadal jesteś Ty

I to zapiera dech, że obok Ciebie jest ktoś

I że mogło być nic…

A jest wszystko…

There are much more philosophical references on this album. ‘Byle jak’ song openly criticizes people’s selfish and capitalistic certitude of their possession of the Earth. This relates to a well known topic of upcoming climate catastrophe. In this rhythmic song Kasia and Jacek’s point of honour is to remind us of elusory domination of humankind over the natural environment; very often they relate to how we claw our way hurting ourselves at the same time. The lyrics are not naive nor pretentious at all. This is in fact the biggest quality of Jacek’s texts – they are not awkward, but rather charming and engaging.

‘Mogło byc nic’ – a review in a nutshell

With the new album, Kwiat Jabłoni proves not to be a one-hit wonder. The artists don’t make compromise, and they have courage to do what they want, in terms of music and lyrics. Other songs are well rated too (e.g. ‘Maska’, ‘Kometa’ or ‘Zaczniemy od zera’) but won’t be described here because it is better to listen for yourself. This album will surely be aired in all radio stations frequently.

The album is way better that Kwiat Jabłoni’s debut CD. Every song is entertaining and most importantly, every one is unique. Compositions are distinguishing, with variable rhythm. Everyone will find something they like.

The biggest value – ‘Buka’

They sing that there is nothing scarier than Buka. On the other hand, they invite to not agree with this statement. The song is an attempt of realization of one’s fears. In quite a perverse way it corresponds with a novelette ‘Pasażer’ by Olga Tokarczuk. Why is this song so magical? Probably because it makes a listener to confront their fears. Sang by the talented duo, it is a story of each and every one of us.

Po tylu latach wiem już na pewno

Że kiedy przyjdzie, jasne będzie jedno

Złe myśli nie były tego warte

Zostawię drzwi otwarte…

A little flaw – number of songs

The album consists of 11 songs and a bonus track, ‘Idzie zima’. We would like it to have more songs as there is never too much of good music, but we’ll have to wait for it to come. Hopefully less than two years, this time.

The new album ‘Mogło być nic’ – tracklist

‘Buka’
‘Mogło być nic’
‘Drogi proste’
‘Byle jak’
‘Nie ma mnie’
‘Kometa’
‘Zaczniemy od zera’
‘Maska’
‘Bankiet’
‘Wyjście z bankietu’
‘Przezroczysty świat’

Rating: 9,5/10

Written by: Jan Brożek

Translation: Natalia Walentyńska

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