Sirius. B
Monkey Robot Soldier
siriusbmusic.com
By now, most of us around here with a musical bent have encountered Sirius. B. Describing themselves as an "absurdist, gypsy, folk, funk, punk" band, not only are they unique to the Asheville scene, but I don't think I could add much to their description of themselves - they hit the nail on the head. Grabbing you up from your chair with infectiously toe-tapping tunes (even the dirge-like "A Cloth and Some Rain") Sirius. B takes you on a crazy dance through their delicious take on the festive music of the Gypsies with Monkey Robot Soldier. For some reason I kept envisioning Chaim Topol in Fiddler on the Roof. Maybe it's the accordion. Besides the excellent rendition of "Hava Nagila", there are two other standout tracks on the album. The aforementioned "A Cloth and Some Rain" has some great vocal wailing reminiscent of the more angst-ridden cuts from Pink Floyd with a little Peter Gabriel thrown in for good measure. The title cut "Monkey Robot Soldier" is refreshingly goofy, almost as if Mike Patton and Weird Al Yankovich were in the studio the day this track was recorded. Like Darien's, this album seems a tad short. I'd have liked to hear a few more tracks of wild abandon, because once you find yourself in an absurdist, gypsy, folk, funk, punk sort of mood, it's hard to stop. Keep it coming, Sirius. B!
— Brent Fleury
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