Whoa there. La Cherga said they were Pan-Balkan, but I didn’t know they hailed from Croatia, Bosnia, and Macedonia — not to mention that their band name is Romanian (“a group of wanderers”) and Bulgarian (“rag rug”).
The multi-lingual band from all over former Yugoslavia is about to drop the sophomore LP Revolve, and the four sample tracks are very promising. And very, very Balkanlicious.
Instead of infusing gypsy styles into punk (ahem Kagero) or standard electro (ahem Shazalakazoo), La Cherga — now based in Austria — attacks funk, soul, and dub. (I forgot to mention there are two Jamaican band members, too.)
The result is smooth downtempo reggae beats, flitting Balkan style trumpets, and a layer of weird, courtesy of Adisa Zvekic’s totally strange smokey Tina Turner alto.
Revolve drops on April 15, but you can download “Sufi Dub,” “Resolve and Revolve,” “Make a Change,” and “Melhala.” Each track is solid and appropriately out-there, and they all manage to keep the band’s musical hybrid fresh and gimmick-free.
04/04/11
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