Monday's mp3: Authentically Neo-Roma

CD REVIEW

KAL: Radio Romanista
(Asphalt Tango)

KAL makes Roma/Gypsy music; KAL makes modern urban music. And there's no separation between the two.

The musical equivalent of nuclear fusion, the Serbian band seems to create ever more energetic tunes, upping the ante from their self-titled 2005 debut with the 13 songs on Radio Romanista (the title track tells of a radio station in the imaginary nation of Romanistan, homeland of the Gypsies). Traditional touches pervade the album, co-mingling with urban beats and outstanding (and often very speedy - check out the fiddling on "Romozom" and "I'm Gypsy"!) instrumental prowess. (audio samples)

[mp3] KAL: Krasnokalipsa featuring Marcello
from the album Radio Romanista

KAL bandleader Dragan Ristic has a fantastic ear for modernizing his rich musical roots without losing the essential elements. With KAL's success," says Ristic, "we're proving the music of your ancestors is still valid, still lives." And it's not merely alive, it's dancing down the street and pulling you along it its wake.

Ignore the narrow-minded reviewer who said of this album: "It's a sad commentary on the state of the world when you can no longer count on ethnic groups to behave the way you want them to." Tradition isn't static, music is constantly evolving. KAL's sound is as authentically "Gypsy" as anything from Vera Bila, or anything from Gypsy.cz, for that matter.

Sure it's early in the year, but go ahead and mark Radio Romanista as one of the best albums of 2009.

More KAL:
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label site
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Monday's mp3: Making the Monkey Dance

CD REVIEW

Figli Di Madre Ignota: Fez Club
Eastblok Records

Italy: Home of spaghetti, monotonous defensive soccer, and Balkan dance music. Okay...none of these may be exclusively Italian, but the new album from Milano-based Figli Di Madre Ignota makes a strong argument for the last item on that list.

The Balkans arguably lie across the Adriatic Sea, but some musical seed must have floated west across the waters, or become lodged in the tire of a truck hauling cabbages from Zagreb. And what grew from that seed, once nestled in the warm soil of Northern Italy, is a tireless party music replete with blasting horns, lilting accordion, past-midnight vocals, and a spirit that's every bit as Balkan as Shantel or Slavic Soul Party.

[mp3] Figli Di Madre Ignota: Fanfare Mocvara
from the album Fez Club

Seattle assemblage Circus Contraption makes an appearance on "Sadoman," a manic track that, we're pretty sure, features a kitchen sink. Fantastic music for people more interested in dancing than in having their papers ready at the border.

More Figli Di Madre Ignota:
website
youtube
cdbaby