Storsveit Nix Noltes

Perhaps not everything is cooing sirens and angelic strings in Iceland after all. Witness this 11-piece ensemble (with requisite Múm and Sigur Rós connections) tear their way through ten tracks of Bulgarian folk with enough velocity and fire to make Gogol Bordello go "damn!" While Beirut and Black Ox Orkestar have each effectively explored the slightly more melancholy Balkan sound, SNN concentrate on the mad dance traditions of weddings, revolutions and Nestinarstvo rituals that kick feet and asses into open air. However, things wind down a little near the conclusion with a trio of "Horo" dances that beef up the tradition with some crunchy guitar lines over the asymmetrical beats. This release follows a 2006 Bubblecore album that seems to have snuck under the radar, maybe due to poor Bulgarian radar reception? If you can't dance to your punk rock with the same vigour, or if the "chicken dance" isn't cutting it at some function, a copy of this in your back pocket would be handy.