Search - Horace X :: Sackbutt

Sometimes the whole mixing and matching of different styles seems to be done with all the levity of a math professor giving a lecture. Horace X takes it to the other end of the spectrum, pushing the goof factor to 10, painting band members in day-glo paint and putting on rambunctious live show. Theatrics aside, the music on Sackbutt, the U.K. band's American debut, skillfully weaves (among other things) dancehall rants, punk rock, Middle Eastern melodies, Irish fiddle, funky bass, live drumming, strange vocal samples and Balkan music into a non-stop dance party. Live instrumentation keeps the melting pot a human one, and while the music is distinctly modern, there is never a doubt that the music is created with real musicianship. Highlights include the full-throttle punk rock ""Dreams--Half Empty," the inexplicably odd "Nuff Megabyte," and the whacky remake "Izuaint." Listening to this album will make you shake your wonder, but Horace X always makes it work out for the best. --Tad Hendrickson