Conscription

The deranged frontman known only as Mike H led his motley Danish crew The Sexican across their debut album The Summoning in 2011. Their follow-up, Conscription, takes the same eclectic, cinematic approach, mixing up Tex-Mex influences with klezmer, Gypsy and punk rock styles. While the group are probably tired of reviewers mentioning the name Quentin Tarantino, it’s impossible not to: the twanging surf guitar, mariachi horns, snatches of accordion and growling vocals conjure up images of the kind of lurid, violent B-movies beloved of that film director. ‘I bring the truth/and there's only one direction you can choose!’ threatens Mike on the atmospheric opener, ‘Gringo Vendetta, like a gun-slinging preacher from a Spaghetti Western.

‘La Muneca’ immediately impresses simply by virtue of just how singularly low he can pitch his growl, before adding klezmer fiddle and clarinet for a double¬time chorus. ‘Benny’s World of Blood’ is a mid-paced heavy metal skank, like Alice Cooper gone reggae, and overdoes the gothic-horror vocals. In the more over-the-top moments the theatricality ends up masking the wittiness of the (predominantly) English-language lyrics. The Sexican work best when the music is lighter on its feet. ‘Le Tour’, probably the most ‘Parisian café’ of the album’s tracks, has a fantastic bounce to it, with an irresistible groove that will turn a listener’s limbs to rubber. They are doubtlessly a great live band. Mike H has considerable skill at Gypsy jazz guitar, as demonstrated on the jazzy ‘Darkened Highway’, and it’s when they are summoning up the ghost of Django Reinhardt that they sound at their most comfortable, aided by skilful violin from Lasse Jakobsen.