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Tummel
Transit
Self-released (www.tummel.nu)
Tummel wants to make sure you have fun. Open their second CD, Transit, and out falls a little envelope full of stickers to decorate the cover with. That's just the beginning of the good times. On this follow-up to 2001's Oy!, the Swedish/Danish Klezmer/Balkan/Asian band rocks out a bit more. Producer Jens Lindg�rd, who has worked with Franz Ferdinand among others, makes sure that the edge is sharp and the flavor is tart. Lots of thrashy guitar, wailing clarinet, and a tuba that stomps on your toes make this one of the most aggressive klezmer albums ever.
If Brave Combo, the Ramones, Drums & Tuba, and the Klezmatics committed some twisted act of group whoopee, Tummel would be their demon spawn. This is acid klezmer at its most ferocious. Just take a track like "Jeri-Ko-Round." The drums and horns set up a menacing, march-like ostinato while Tobias Allvin's guitar gently screams. The brash, swingy "Calman Jacoby" rolls on like a Mardi Gras party, then breaks into a jaunty little tap dancing break courtesy of guest hoofer Carolina Heiskanen. "Tabasco Stomp" has a guitar riff that could have come straight from Cream or Deep Purple. "Pravo Horo" careens between a rhythmically ambiguous Balkan dance tune and a bouzouki-driven jig. "Noch Einmal-Tomatimahl" could be just any old freylach until the centrifugal force just gets too strong, flinging it off in all directions. Hot, heady stuff. - Peggy Latkovich
Listen to "Pravo Horo"
Available from cdRoots
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