Oi Va Voi - Oi Va Voi

This self-titled offering from Jewish experimentalists Oi Va Voi comes four years after their debut, Laughter Through Tears. This time lapse is accounted for by a statement that the band have spent it fighting their way through "a series of trials and tribulations that would have finished off a lesser band," and the sound present here, with a throbbing bassline and strident lead guitar around every corner, backs this up. On tracks like new single Yuri, the album's loose and live sound gives one the impression of actually being at a gig and it seems almost strange not to hear the crowd noise in the background as each number strikes up. If they sound even half as good as this when live in the true sense, these shows should really be something special. [Jonathan Robert Muirhead]