!!! Curfew : 10 pm !!!

The French duo Vialka concluded their 2005 world tour in Israel, where they recorded a 20-minute set at Udi Koomran's Ginger's Studio. The set is here paired with a set by Israeli klezmer pranksters Kruzenshtern I Parohod. Taken as a whole, Vialka's five songs represent the group's strongest release so far, in terms of both songwriting and performance. The duo offers a rather unusual instrumentation, with Marylise Frecheville playing complex drum patterns while singing, and Eric Boros playing angular riffs on his baritone guitar. The result sounds like a punked-up take on Etron Fou Leloublan. "Bamako" stands among their best songs ever, thanks to a demented opening riff and striking developments, but "Gothenburg" and "Nanaimo" are also very impressive. Kruzenshtern I Parohod has always been an avant-garde party band and that is exactly what they do here: party! Bassist Igor Krutogolov, clarinetist Ruslan Gross and drummer Guy Shechter are here joined by accordion player Olya Yelensky. To celebrate the newcomer's arrival in the band, two early classics of the trio are joyfully revisited: "Tort" (from The Craft of Primitive Klezmer) and "Young Ones" (from Songs), both given exhilarating readings. These are complemented by two new compositions, the frantically swinging "Piratskaja," and the simply frantic "Karate." As in Vialka's case, Kruzenshtern I Parohod's set is arguably their best outing yet. Put the two sets together and you get a strong, galvanizing album on its own, and a marvelous introduction to both bands. Highly recommended.

Vialka naquit dans les tréfonds le la France, de père nomade et de mère inconnue. C’est un duo guitare/batterie qui tourne intensément à travers le monde. Leur musique se ballade joyeusement au delà des frontières, mêlant blues africain, chansons traditionnelles chinoises, rock explosif et morceaux dynamiques des gitans européens, le tout dans un tourbillon d’énergie derviche. Leurs contes populaires sans fin, poly-rythmes frappés puissamment, jappements et hurlements sont brassés créant un mélange dansant et addictif.