Presenting Kultur Shock, a moderately political band that is heartily anti-Nationalism, anti-religion, and anti-pretension. The group formed in Seattle after having national origins as far reaching as Bosnia, Bulgaria, and Japan. In the past they have offended the World Music community with their rowdy behavior, playing all across Europe and North America with the kind of bad attitude that makes me proud of the global ex-patriot art tradition.

While espousing themselves as a conglomerate of misfits, not wanting to be too comfortable with any culture, their brand of no-holds-barred acoustic folk is surprisingly catchy and easy to listen to. It's a combination of Eastern-European folk, punk rock, and generally Middle-Eastern music.

The vocals remind me of the self-assured bravado of Dave King, frontman of Flogging Molly, if King was genetically melded with the lead singer of Rammstein and then deported to a Siberian McDonalds. Happily, because Kultur Shock draws from multiple musical traditions, We Came To Take Your Jobs Away, is less prone to the cliché of Drunken Lullabies.

My favorite moments are the cynically whimsical intro to "Saraievo" and the typically-Kultur Shock lyrics on "God is Busy".