I started this post a while back after initially downloading the album (For free! Legally!) but shelved it for some reason. Then I went to see Gogol Bordello on their “Gypsy Punks 10th Anniversary Tour” and was so let down that I had to revisit this collective of real artists.
I really wish that reviews could lead with this statement: You need to hear this! And just be done with it. My job would be so much easier, your attention span would be satiated and we could all go home happy.
But no.
I have to write about the album that you can have for free and explain to you why you MUST download this album. Which, again, is free. Right now.
I first discovered Dubioza kolektiv after the brilliant headbanger’s delight “No Escape (From Balkan)” exploded onto the music scene a year or two back. It was brilliant then and even more so in the context of their new full-length Happy Machine. Honestly, songs like “No Escape” and “Free.mp3” had me hooked already so anything they offered going forward was already on my radar. Easily a “Top 16 Of ’16” album, Happy Machine is fun and infectious with international flair and a healthy infusion of both Pop and heaviness.
There are SO many highlights on Happy Machine. Actually, every song is a highlight. You’ll either be jumping up and down or banging your head throughout. More than likely, both. “Boom!” really drives this point home. As does “Red Carpet” which features Manu Chao and a badass horn section. “Riot Fire” with its hypnotic trumpet lines accents that point even more. Elsewhere, Reggae influences rear their head on “2400 Baci” while “Alarm Song” even injects some dubstep into Dubioza’s musical cache.
Happy Machine is out now. You can download MP3. Here, actually. For more on the band, including where you can catch them live, head here.