Bombadil - A Buzz, a Buzz [CD]

With a sound all their own, Bombadil is, if nothing else, one of the freshest bands to emerge in a long time. Formed by Duke University alumni Daniel Michalak, Bryan Rahija and Stuart Robinson, this band draws on a unique mélange of influences to create a sound that is unclassifiable. The group Magnet Magazine deemed "a drunker, circus-reared version of The Band," was born in Bolivia, where Michalak and Rahija first met. The folk music indigenous to the region lit a creative spark and inspired the two to begin writing songs that incorporated international instruments and styles. That influence, paired with their collective backgrounds in Piedmont blues, psychedelic rock and Robinson's background as a classical pianist, stands as the driving force behind the band's unique sound. Their songs range from straightforward rock to Bolivian waltzes; from heartbreaking, piano-driven laments on loss of life to swashbuckling, raucus marches. With a core of electric / acoustic guitars, bass, piano and drums and appearances by harmonica, xylophone, organ, synth, saxophone, trumpet, viola, charango, glockenspiel, accordion, recorder and even zampona, you won't hear another band that sounds like Bombadil. All of the instrumentation, however, does not detract at all from the core of Bombadil-anthemic, concrete songwriting. The complicated, endearing character of their songs keeps Bombadil grounded and guides them. Tracks: Trip Out West / Julian Of Norwich / Smile When You Kiss / Rosetta Stone / Three Saddest Words / Buzz A Buzz / One Two Three / Cavaliers Har Hur / Caterpillar Tree / Johnny / Get To Getting On.