For their debut on the influential Czech alternative rock label Indies, the group Oswald Schneider went overboard in terms of production and design. On To Tam, rock meets jazz with that special Czech touch. The male and female vocals (Ludek Majer and Ivana Stanislavová), guitar (Majer), piano (Jan Kopecky), bass (Filip B. Nebrensky), trumpet (Jirí Alexa), and drums (Milan Cais) already offer some possible variety in styles, ranging from ska-tinged rock to more complex numbers, but in addition the songs were extensively reworked in the studio. Overdubs abound and the enigmatic Oswald Schneider mutates wildly from techno pop to punk rock à la Uz Jsme Doma. Sometimes the studio work seems to hide a certain vacuity in the writing, but when a piece is strong, it burns rubber. Think of Pavel Fajt's Pluto with a funky trumpet and a more positive (and pop) attitude toward life. Highlights include the party-igniter "Vyjedu si Autákem," the catchy "V Cernèm," and the topsy-turvy "Pojd," by far the strongest composition here. One cannot review this CD without mentioning its unique packaging. Neither a jewel box nor a digipack, To Tam comes in a hollow piece of thick cardboard. A round panel lifts to reveal the CD, and embedded below it is a tiny 32-page booklet filled with lyrics and drawings.