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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 Lindgård, 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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