Guignol Fight Dirty

I have absolutely no idea what to make of Guignol and Mischief Brew. This is one crazy group that kind of hits you with a left hook from the moment you stick their album, Fight Dirty, on. Caught somewhere between a carnival and Klezmer music, G&MB create a very strange, very weird concoction of tunes that features all sorts of instrumentation that is about as un-rock and roll as you can get. Calliope's, clarinet's and lord only knows what else it's all here and it helps make Fight Dirty as intriguing as it is.

Perhaps a bit like a missing John Zorn collaboration with Mr. Bungle, Fight Dirtyis a twisted ride into musical territory not often explored by the mainstream. It's a crazy fun record that's really not something you'll run home to listen to, but if it's on you can't help but be sucked in and be enamored by the strange blending of approximately 345 different musical styles all within a song. For example, check out their version of Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name," which is quite possibly the BEST THING EVER even without Bruce Dickinson singing. There is probably no other band on the planet that embraces diversity quite like this band does. Fearing no genre and embracing them all, these guys play their guts out and seem like the sort of band you would find busking in a subway station somewhere if they weren't in the studio recording metal covers.

Guignol and Mischief Brew haven't created a pop album per se but an album of reckless experimentation that works and works well. It's all over the map and really makes no sense at all, but still sounds like the best drinking album ever recorded if it was recorded down in a tube station at midnight. I'm not sure how many they've had or what they're drinking (it certainly isn't water) but these guys are pure entertainers and after listening to Fight Dirty you've got to wonder how amazing these guys are live; I'm almost positive they would put on one of the best live shows on the planet and you would walk away in astonishment.

Until that happens, check out Fight Dirtyon record you won't be disappointed by Guignol and Mischief Brew's ability to create crazy tunes that sound like everything all at once.