by François Couture
Sitting on the Buffalo, Kampec Dolores' second CD for the label ReR Megacorp, followed their breakthrough album, the highly experimental Zúgó/Rapid, and their first North American tour. The lineup has changed considerably. Singer/violinist Gabi Kenderesi and guitarist Csaba Hajnóczy (who were both involved in the project the Danubians) are the only two musicians playing on both albums. The band has lost a very inventive drummer (András Halmos cannot match the mastery of Péter Hárságyi), but gained a strong bassist in Árpád Vajdovich. This album is more song-oriented, with shorter tracks and more lyrics instead of random syllables (still featured on &Small Cloud 1& and &Small Cloud 2&). Kenderesi sings in Hungarian (with English translations supplied in the booklet), Tamil, and Turkish. Raï and Tzigane influences permeate the group's rock songs. &Tan Naa Ne& is a traditional South Indian folk song, while &Yürüyorum& was adapted from a ceremonial song of the Bektashi dervishes. The basslines recall some of the best avant-rock Czech outfits, such as Pavel Fajt's Pluto and Uz Jsme Doma. The album is 45 minutes long: the last track, an edited version of the title song, is preceded by seven minutes of silence (the aptly titled &Silence [Real Silence]&). More accessible than the band's previous album, Sitting on the Buffalo makes a good point of entry into Kampec Dolores' exotic world.