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Excellent album from Max Pashm

Advantages: Superbly fun and eclectic album
Disadvantages: None

Max Pashm's album Never Mind The Balkans is my new favourite album of the year, possibly even knocking Firewater's "The Golden Hour" off it's perch. It's incredibly danceable, I struggle to keep my hands and feet still whilst listening on public transport and it is bound to cheer up any day, no matter what the weather or circumstances. The album was released at the end of September, 2008 by Elektrikos/Organikos (don't quote me on this but I think ...
..."Imnul Kish Mayn Tokhes". Never Mind the Balkans is without a doubt an album that has to be listened to, an eclectic, fun piece from the genius that is Max Somers and his enterage. Having worked in the past as a producer with The Sex Pistols, he's mimicked their Never Mind The Bollox album cover on this interesting new album. 1. Imnul 2. Fight On The Streets 3. Rembeteli 4. I Neno 5. Klezmernaki 6. Anarchy 7. The Calling 8. The Tongue 9. ...

dangaroo 21.11.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Never Mind The Balkans Here's Max Pashm - Max Pashm

Slightly brassed off

Advantages: Some catchy numbers, Hysni Zela's vocals
Disadvantages: Not all wedding music, not enough Hysni Zela, over-produced

...are not unknown in traditional Albanian music, there has never been the tradition of brass bands such as this. Although the band members are all serious and (very talented) musicians, they decided to form a brass band as a joke to create a tradition that never existed - brass bands travelling from town to town playing traditional music at weddings which is very common in the other Balkan countries of Southern Europe. Even if all that never existed ...
...styles and sounds that reflects Albanian culture and history. It was only in the latter part of the twentieth century that the doors of Albania were closed to the rest of the world. Before that Albania, like her Balkan neighbours, was a meeting point of east and west. For centuries Turkey - or more correctly the Ottoman Empire - was the dominant force in this part of Europe and there are obvious reminders of this in the songs on this CD. There are ...

fizzytom 25.09.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Albanian Wedding (Brass Explosion) - Fanfara Tirana

Awesome album of Lautari music

Advantages: Some great recordings of rare tracks
Disadvantages: Misses some of Romica's best works

From 1864 and the abolition of slavery, many homeless gypsies settled on the outskirts of southern towns of Romania, these areas were called "mahalas" and it was where the songs "cantece de mahala" (songs of the suburbs) originated. People met in the local cafe or "carciuma" and a group of local musicians the "taraf" which usually consisted of violinist, double bass player, cobza, accordian and tambal and vocalist would entertain everyone else. This ...
...in 1926 in Bucharest and started singing in cafes by the age of 14 but it wasn't until 1964 that she actually recorded an album, The Gore Brothers (famous Romanian musicians - Aurel and Victor) who also grew up in the same mahala and were in fact cousins to Puceanu helped her become famous by organising gigs for her. She has a strange voice, sometimes incredibly high other times really low - quite similar to a black male blues artist. She was infact ...

dangaroo 10.07.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Sounds From A Bygone Age Vol.2 [Digipak] - Romica Puceanu & The Gore Brothers

Introducing... Warsaw Village Band ~ 'Uprooting'

Advantages: Exciting; unique; passionate; challenging
Disadvantages: Well, it's in Polish, so some may find that a disadvantage...

In recent years, the little-known Warsaw Village Band have risen from obscurity to earn some much deserved recognition, playing several high-profile festivals including Glastonbury 09, and even clinching the Best Newcomer award at the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards in 2004. 'Uprooting' is a fine example of the band's capability, and also of their potential to grow and continue. Comprising six young musicians from Poland's capital, the band blend ...
...passionate and hypnotising set of tracks which should be essential listening for any music fan. I had the honour of first hearing the band when they performed at Musicport Festival 2008, a very surreal experience indeed as they were supporting Rolf Harris! Their set consisted of many of the tracks from 'Uprooting'. The performance put on by the band was both aurally and visually stunning, in part due to their incorporation in their music of many ...

littlewiggle 25.11.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Uprooting - Warsaw Village Band

'JOANNA...A Hymn of Devotion

Advantages: incredibly underrated music very well produced and presented
Disadvantages: none

...Devotion’ James Young's Joanna was made on the battered upright piano in his house - an instrument most pianists would reject without a moment's hesitation. Bad pianos - in pubs, bars, clubs, cafes and the parental home - are the bane of musicians and music teachers: the sustain pedal doesn't work; the felts are worn; mezzopiano is indistinguishable from fortissimo. And that's before you get on to the problem of keeping it in tune. Players develop ...
...wisdom on its head. Joanna is a hymn of devotion that both dignifies and delights in his old piano's imperfections. As Billy Jenkins wrote in Notes on Crap Pianos: "Years of warp and deterioration have ripened each mechanical artefact into its own unique sound. Do not attempt music scored for a good piano." Young describes his piano as "a ready-made that needed to be celebrated for its intrinsic peculiarities". There are antecedents: Virginia Astley's ...

JLWguardian 28.10.2009 · Read full review

Review of Joanna - James Young