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CD Review
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Santa Fe New Mexican, CD Review >>
HAZMAT MODINE
Bahamut (Geckophonic Records) "No one has ever seen Bahamut. Some think it's a fish. Some think it's a newt." That attempt to describe the aquatic beast from Arabic mythology is from a spoken passage in Bahamufs title track. Hazmat Modine is a band that, much like Bahamut, is difficult to define. Fronted by two " " . harmonica players, the band features an eclectic array of instru ments, ranging from tubas, drums, guitars, and trumpets, to the claviola, cimbalom, contra-bass saxophone, and the sheng (look them up). This strange creature swims the water between blues, soul, reggae, Gypsy, and Eastern music but what makes the album special is that it isn't your standard batch of genre-hopping world music. Rather than make themselves trades and masters of none, the musicians have cooked up a sound that incorporates these elements into something that you've never heard before. Strangely, it's a "world music" album that sounds distinctly American. Whether coming off like an Eastern European folk band playing Jelly Roll Morton on "It Rolls," or an old Harry Smith field recording that includes Tuvan throat-singing on the excellent "It Calls Me,'1 this album is joyful stuff. "Who Walks In When I Walk Out?" begins with an intro based on Asian instrumentation, then gives way to something akin to a raucous Oktoberfest band playing authentic ragtime and New Orleans jazz. Hazmat Modine is a rare beast, indeed.
-Robert Benziker 09/08/06
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