The Tango Saloon 'Transylvania' released June 9th 2008,
distributed by Vitamin Records (vitamin.net.au)
Astor Piazzolla meets Ennio Morricone in this tango-flavoured project with a twist of spaghetti western. The Tango Saloon's second album 'Transylvania' uses a similar palate of sounds and styles to the debut, but also branches off into many other areas. Not so much a horror score, rather a "musical postcard" which of course includes some dark and disturbing sounds, but also manages to throw gypsy brass, cha cha and some wild vocal numbers into the mix.
"This is a soundscape to rattle the bones of the dead"
- Pedro Manoy, Drum Media
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From the review of Peeping Tom/The Tango Saloon
(19th June 2007 at The Tivoli in Brisbane):
They may be based in Sydney but The Tango Saloon have a world class line-up that includes none other than former Mr Bungle drummer Danny Heifetz who was recently seen playing with the Secret Chiefs 3 only a few blocks away. Also boasting members from Woodford favourites Monsieur Camembert and Darth Vegas, The Tango Saloon’s impressive lineage goes a little toward explaining the mind-blowing set of side-stepping rhythms, diabolical groove and inter-continental tones, although nowhere near far enough.
The brass, double bass, accordion and triangle equipped eight-piece instrumentalists seamlessly skew between seedy 60’s spy tunes, wild spaghetti-western swings, Mediterranean marching music and dreamy Jewish jazz in a fluid, almost ambient style that defiantly dodges the quirky edge intimated in this definition.
Characterised by an intimate humility, their set is drawn primarily from the self-titled debut album, released in the States by Mike Patton’s Ipecac label. After a marching mosh with Heifetz’s signature percussive lunacy, they finish fittingly with the track Tango Saloon 2, which meanders through their alt-tango timing and traverses wild rhythm breakdowns before reclaiming tight synchronicity; unveiling an uncannily fulfilling song and set structure.
- James Stafford (Rave Magazine)
