It's been over two years since Hellblinki (nee Hellblinki Sextet) have put out a new CD, and I must say I'm genuinely pleased with the result: "These Bubbles Come from Ants".
What I love about this band is that they're so hard to pin down. The numbers found on this CD include elements of americana gothic, shards of eastern european music matched against bits of middle eastern music, 1960s Hammond organ rock (check out "Morning Break"), slide-guitar blues, surreal cabaret and an unapologetic love for experimentalism and the weird (see the track "Ants (for Now)") that adds up to BIZZARE FOLK-MAGIC SWAMP MUSIC.
Perhaps the defining elements of Hellblinki are the two widely divergent vocal styles. The male vocals, provided by Andrew Benjamin, evoke a carnival barker (or tent rival preacher) having a go at a Weimar-Germany cabaret singing style. Valerie Meiss' vocals are stunningly beautiful and operatic. Two very different approaches to singing yet this talented band makes both of them work.
The oddest part of this release is that "These Bubbles Come from Ants" may actually be Hellblinki's most traditional/normal album!
Any way I love this CD (apart from the post-modern sing-along take on "Row Row Row Your Boat" that finishes off this collection, it wears thin after a few plays).
