Indestructible Balkan Beats - Various Artists

Advantages: An eclectic mix of past, present and future (groan)
Disadvantages: A little obvious and literal at times

...Who/What There can't be many of you who don't know what Heroes is all about, you know, a group of ordinary folk who discover they have superpowers, Like, The Flying Senator or PsyBearCop, not to mention The Radioactive Widower and The Indestructible Cheerleader. Sadly, it is not this bunch of differently-abled misfits who've released this album, but other people…people who have the power of music… Highlights Flicking through the names of the artists involved reads like a who's who at a music festival, with Deathcab For Cutie, Panic! At The Disco and Bob Dylan contributing tracks along with lesser-known but just as vibrant New Pornographers and Nada Surf flinging their chords about. It does make a change to be listening to them without having to watch as people stop time, walk through walls, break their necks and regenerate, and it... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: It just feels right
Disadvantages: where is vol 2 ???

...The Viva Diablo Blanco compilation is a carefully selection of hyms of drum'n'bass / ambient tunes from the mid 90's. You'll be sure to rebember tracks such as Apollo 440's "Ain't Talking about dub" and Fat Boy Slim's "Song for Linda" and at the same time recall some less mainstream artists such as The Aloof and The Art of Noise and on top some very good remixes by the likes of the brazillian collective Filla Brazilia and others. All in all this album does really capture the essence of the whole snowboarding sub-culture, so the snowboarder on the album's cover isn't just a fluke. In a few words this compilation is bold, young and fast paced, but still a ambient album that you can play over and over.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: A sublime fusion of roots and more modern music
Disadvantages: Not as good as some contemporaries

...This is the self-named album Kal by Kal! Kal are a Serbian band from the small village of Valjevo but are now based in Belgrade, they fuse traditional roma music with a very slight amount of pop/crooning, they are one of very few Serbian artists that still play Balkan music in the traditional sense as Serbian music is these days liittered with keyboards in general. Kal (Romani for black) were once described by a BBC journalist in Leicester as "the coolest band in the world", whilst nothing from someone from Leicester should be taken to seriously (they still think Gary Lineker is cool), he's almost spot on in this case. Kal dress in black suits and hats which instantaneously gives them a mafia look, this image is quickly broken though as they're jolly outlook on life woos the crowd where ever they are quite quickly. The band themselves... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful