Juan Zou De Ren (He Who Travels Far)

The second album from Hanggai, the Beijing-based Mongolian folk-rock band, pioneers of the ‘China-grass’ scene, sees them coming of age. It follows a busy year for Hanggai with a swathe of international concerts and festival appearances, and its release coincided with a festival hosted by the band outside Beijing in September. Hanggai has teamed up with producers Ken Stringfellow and JB Meijers for this new album. It is less quirky but there are plenty of tracks on here which build on the charm of their debut, and there are more tracks here for your money.

Their reworkings of popular Chinese-Mongolian folk songs feature bluegrassy plucked Mongolian tobshuur lute and banjo. These tunes have done the rounds of revolutionary folk song and karaoke, and could be twee in lesser hands, but reinterpreted by Hanggai they are a delight. They're not afraid of cliché either. ‘Xiger Xiger’ has some outrageous neighing guitar riffs over its galloping rhythm. When it's this obvious, you just have to laugh and jump on for the ride. There's a nod to the band's punk roots: ‘Ayrhindu’ sounds like the Pogues with a sprinkling of Chinese opera. Hanggai don't have the same skill in overtone singing as Huun Huur Tu, but they are beginning to challenge the old Tuvan masters with their fresh take on these traditions.