They broke the mold after they made the Reptile Palace Orchestra. There’s absolutely no band like it that’s able to tread freely, humorously, and with great aplomb around world music as comfortable with Klezmer, Eastern European rhythms, and Maghrebi melodies as it is with a cover of the jazz-rock classic “Vehicle.” That the bandmembers do it with such obvious smiles on their faces is the icing on the cake, because underneath is some stunning musicianship that is easily heard in pieces like the demanding “Sandankso Horo” or the opener “Kochari.” Even their loop experiments, like “Earth Lee Julie” (how many people dedicate a piece to Catwoman?) and “Super Siggi Deluxe” have a great intelligence working behind the wackiness. There’s also a huge sense of adventure in the arrangements — just like to “Apo Laouto,” a Cretan melody that offers the unusual pairing of didjeridu and cello in the band’s version. And how many tunes in a tortuous 9/8 time signature have been written to commemorate the building of a sauna deck, as “Sauna Deck Cocek” was? This is a complex album that keeps revealing more joys with each play. – Chris Nickson
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