Weekly Feature and CD of the Month: Vuvuzela

Vuvuzela doesn’t play it safe – their quirky chamber-rock is an "all-in" kind of thing. And by "all" here we mean any musical element you can conceive, ranging from celestial harp parts to dissonant rock assaults. Music is obviously a super-fun playground for these talented musicians, who have the ability to juggle a wide range of influences while create what could be described as an orchestral (and therefore more complex) version of the "split personality pop" previously nailed by B52s and Sugarcubes. The female muse here is harpist Stephanie Babirak, whose gentle melodic presence emerges on occasion… but in most cases gets carelessly abused by her three band mates’ more violent musical instincts. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of insane monster-songs that – against all odds – function flawlessly. – Mike Levine recently interview the band here.