Think of it as traveling around the world with a rock band that has the ability to adapt to local customs and sounds. By the end of the trip the band decides to incorporate all their experiences into one sound. It is Orient-based rock that knows how American rock goes, though it doesn't care whether it's the South Pacific or the shoreline of the Atlantic hitting New York, it just wants to blend and bend cultures into one it can call its own. That's exactly what Macha do on their latest. "Riding The Rails," "Until Your Temples Are Pounding," "The Nipplegong," and Mirror" all wrap themselves around standard pop and/or rock, but beyond that, they're all eclectic instruments, sounds, and styles from all over the world.

Here is a band that is hard to appreciate, but once you get into them, you're locked in for good. The first few times I heard them I wasn't sure what to make of it. I liked the eclecticism, but that was about it. But, it just kept growing on me, and here we are now. I like it; I'll give it a B.

Maceo Parker: Funk Overload

Machetazo: Carne De Cementerio

[Issue Twenty-Seven // January 2000]