At first I thought The Company With The Golden Arm would have released a Balkans folk record but this impression only lasted a few seconds. This is rather a “gypsy” band gone totally insane and out of control. With a singer whose style reminds me of Mike Patton in better days this French band is about as folk as Deerhoof are pop or Kid 606 is techno. There is a certain kind of folky foundation. The horns and other un-rock instruments recall either bands like Mahala Rai Banda or the rural side of French chanson. Harsh breaks and extreme changes in directions rule supreme but somehow there is still something like structure to the songs and sometimes there are even catchy passages (check “add jealousy”!).

This record is some sort of homage to Stanley Kubrick’s movie “barry lyndon”. I don’t know that movie and I ain’t no big fan of Kubrick’s (“path of glory” was awesome however!). But the music surely fits his sometimes far out style of directing a movie. It also reminds me of another band that put out a movie-themed record some years ago: Fantômas. Just take away the metal and add some folklore and you’ll come pretty close to Stanley Kubi.

If you were down with other rather insane stuff on The Company With The Golden Arm like Experimental Dental School or Limited Express or if you like music that is really unique and challenging then this record is something you should not miss.  [jan]

www.stanleykubi.org