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Shutka Champions Album Review

Shutka Champions Album Review

Dave Steely reviews the new Shutka Champions album. You can catch them live at The Kraken Wakes on Friday 25th June and at the Bandstand on Saturday 3rd July.

Shutka is a town in the Balkans containing the largest Romany gypsy population in the world. In Shutka everybody is a `champion’ at something, whether it is goose fighting or vampire hunting. This lust for personal triumph is the inspiration for The Shutka Champions. Their eponymous debut album lazily grooves its way into your head and then positively refuses to leave.

Each groove-laden track steadily develops into a warm and inviting layered soundscape. The production and arrangements create enough space for the music to breathe whilst the understated, yet hugely atmospheric guitar parts provide an almost psychedelic edge to the basic rhythms. Whether sounding like a pre-orchestral Verve, or Kasabian wrapped in cotton wool, the effective simplicity of the tunes shine through and there lies its strength. Despite the entire album having a very definite sound there is enough variation to prevent it merging into a homogenous sonic lump.

The gloriously uplifting closing track `The Best of Us’, perfectly encapsulates the positive glow that emanates from the whole album. With a Mike Skinner type spoken vocal and accompanied by an African Gospel Choir, it encourages us to discard our fears and to cherish the good times we share with those that matter.

The Shutka Champions prove what some of us have known for ages – keep things simple and they tend to work much better.

Dave Steely


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