If Madisonia were a country, it would lie somewhere in the Balkans, maybe east of the Carpathiansjudging by Reptile Palace Orchestra's CD. On <em>Songs and Dances</em>, the longtime Madison band (with roots in '80s post-punk) tears through ragingly electric, high-energy renditions of Eastern European music, with klezmer-Gypsy-Bulgarian melodies coursing over a driving rhythm section augmented by cello, clarinet and accordion. If rock 'n' roll had originated in Belgrade rather than Memphis, it might have sounded like the Reptile Palace band.
Reptile Palace Orchestra
Songs and Dances of Madisonia (Omnium)
