Omm: Omnium Omnibus

Celebrating ten years of the fiercely independent Omnium label, which has maintained its very eclectic stance, this is a lovely little birthday present. In addition to a couple of tracks from Boiled in Lead -- a reminder of just what a potent folk-rock-punk band they can be (although they don't record any more; "Jamie Across the Water" from their annual resurrection is a fine reminder that they are needed more than ever now) -- there's a great variety of music, from the Italian folk-techno of Fiamma Fumana to the Balkan bizarreness of 3 Mustapha 3's "Speed the Tractor," which compares wonderfully with "Speed the Plough" from Tiger Moth. From West Africa (Dembo Kante & Kausa Kuyateh with the Jali Roll Orchestra -- essentially the ubiquitous Mustaphas) to England (John Kirkpatrick's fine squeezebox playing), and tours through Central Europe via Pennsylvania (Sviraj) and Scandinavia (Ruth MacKenzie and Garmarna) to the Residents-meet-Zappa-via-Europe of Reptile Palace Orchestra, it's all a treat. And judging from the track from Horace X, where dancehall clashes with Arab-inflected violin, there's a great future, too. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide