Molotov Jukebox - Tropical Gypsy
9/10
Do you ever pick up an album just because you like the name of the band? No? Maybe it’s just me, then. With Molotov Jukebox I expected incendiary, Clash-like punk assault. I called that wrong but I’ve still got a damned fine album.
Fronted by actress and singing accordionist Natalia Tena, who you may have seen in About A Boy, the Harry Potter series or Game of Thrones, Molotov Jukebox play a delightful mix of Latino styles. It may not be – quite – the “riotous whirlwind of Latino influenced horns, accordion and violin” trumpeted by the press release but it made me – a resolute non-dancer with no discernible sense of rhythm - get up and strut my stuff. Thankfully, I was alone and now just have to hope that there is no CCTV footage.
This music acknowledges Molotov Jukebox’s roots but it is not in thrall to tradition. Tropical Gypsy takes Spanish and South American influences and gives them a modern twist to produce a 21st century mix of samba, fohó, cumbia, tropicália and the music of the Romani. The likes of I Cry, Halfway There and Gypsy Funeral are the best feelgood, get-up-and-dance songs I have heard in years.
Whatever your tastes, give this a chance. You won’t regret it.
