AVANT GARDE FOLK

Jeremy Barnes, late of Leicestershire and recently relocated back home to Albuquerque, New Mexico, former drummer in the influential American indie rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, is a weirdo. And possibly a genius. His third album of avant garde Romany gypsy traditional music inspired compositions, played on accordion, flute, violin and drums (plus the odd unintelligible vocal accompaniment) with the assistance of string scratcher Heather Trost, is both bonkers and beautiful. Track titles like ‘God Bless the Ottoman Empire’ give you an idea of the kind of eccentric mind at play here. It’s only a matter of time before Barnes scores a film for the mad Bosnian filmmaker Emir Kusturica.