100 Words About My Wild Slovak Soul.

A package from Prague, from Premyl, who runs a label;
he wants me to review some of their new albums.

The music is wacky, wild, weird, wonderful in its world-view;
Romany music mixed with punk, rock, funk, Arabic, jazz, hip-hop.

I love it like a long-lost brother, like learning language;
It speaks to my inner gypsy, my wild Slovak soul.

If John Cibula, a century ago, hadn't escaped from Europe,
with only his bass fiddle packed with money he'd earned
playing in a "gypsy orchestra" (so the family story goes),
this music would soundtrack my wild Slovak alternate life! Hyje!

_______

Yes, this has been a preview of what you can find over at 36,500 Words. I'm really happy with how it's turning out so far, but I shan't pimp it more than this. I'm going to be reviewing all the discs for various publications (best is Traband's album Hyje! (which is approximately equal to "Giddy-up" as far as I can tell), but I had to give 'em all a shoutout in here anyway.

Best song in the whole world right now: "Amateur," by Molotov. This is their rock-hop cover of "Rock Me Amadeus," and it's brilliant, with raps in Spanish and English and some real Monterrey muscle behind the riff; maybe nothing could touch the original for sheer riff-power, but this version also doesn't make one cringe at its horrible lyrics and suck-up premise.

True reason for this song being genius, though, is the video. Tall skinny albino Fabio is coached by his manager, Mufasa, to win some kind of surreal hot-dog-based championship. Great slow-mo shots of Fabio trying to catch airborne franks in his mouth, awesome payoff, etc. I won't give away the ending, but let's just say that when Sammy beat his uncle Tim in "Sammy Chess" (very similar to T.E.G.W.A.R.* in Bang the Drum Slowly in that Sammy always gets to win), he stood up and sang "oh oh OH, oh oh OH OH! oh oh OH, oh oh OH OH!" Smells like victory. Best single of 2005 so far.

*The Exciting Game Without Any Rules. Boo-ya-ka-sha, respek, safe.