Kicking off with "Circus" a rampaging track that recalls early Oingo Boingo, French rockers Babylon Circus quickly move into energetic reggae and beyond to reveal their name as particularly apt -- they really are a three-ring circus of exotic party music.

"De La Musique Et Du Bruit" rock out some more traditional French sounds, while "Interlude Barbare" mines early jazz. "La Caravane" adds in some Middle Eastern stylings with its frantic revelry, while "L'huille Sur Le Feu" bangs out a horn-driven rock fury with a ska feel.

Being French, there's plenty of sizzling accordion regardless of the song style.

This 10-piece band started out as a straight ska outfit but branched out as their creativity took hold. On "Dances of Resistance," the band brings a multi-language anti-war theme to the lyrics, singling out -- no big surprise here -- Iraq as the center of their protest. The message is simple ---- the future revolves around the energy of music, not violence, and Babylon Circus is one more great entry from French music scene that deserves notice.

-by John E. Mitchell