Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams
Flapjacks from the Sky
High Noon Records

This band has a pretty fanciful moniker, but their music is hardly as footloose as that. They play Americana, but they do it well and this double disc shows their strengths.

Joziah Longo has a storyteller's warm voice and confidence in his abilities to mesmerize an audience. The band follows his lead expertly. "Kiss From Eve" is relaxed and rootsy, the band playing a lovely melody. "Moondog House" is delightfully bluesy and has some great guitar playing. The lengthy "Talkin' to the Buddha" manages pathos and avoids cod-philosophy at every turn. Longo's talent as a singer really shows here. "Jump-Rope" revisits a happy childhood memory and is breezy. This is a long but worthwhile and magical record.

Copyright © 2007 Anna Maria Stjärnell