The second album by Baltimore-based
instrumental
ensemble
Madagascar
is, in the best possible way, more of the same as their marvelous debut,
Forced March
. There are six tunes on this half-hour album, all but one (a charming recasting of the Chanukah staple
"S'Vivon"
) in the five- to nine-minute range. Each one features accordionist
Michael Lambright
and his musical saw-playing brother
Anthony Lambright
, supported by percussion (including prominent glockenspiel parts), acoustic guitar and electric bass. The largely minor-key tunes are reminiscent of higher profile acts like
Beirut
and
A Hawk and a Hacksaw
, but
evince little interest in the faux-Balkan vibe of those bands: their music is unbound by geography, featuring slowly unfurling melodies akin to but gentler than fellow instrumentalists like
Explosions in the Sky
. Anyone who loved
will be entirely pleased by
Goodbye East, Goodbye West
; newcomers can expect to be either lulled into a blissed-out swoon or put to sleep, depending on one's tolerance for this sort of thing. ~ Stewart Mason