On Anatomic, the Afro Celt Sound System return as a streamlined quartet and to their original name. Following the CD/DVD remix project Pod, this is welcome return to the sound the band initiated on Seed. This is a group whose members no longer care about programming as their primary function, but instead work together -- writing, performing, and jamming -- as a band. The 14 guests here range from Celtic fiddle wizard Eileen Ivers to griot and kora master N'Faly Kouyate. The sheer heavin   [ read more ]

CD $27.53

Worldbeat ambassadors Afro Celt Sound System go the remix route on the two-disc set Pod. Essentially a career overview, Pod features 13 tracks culled from the group's ten-year history remixed by various bandmembers and DJs. Each song mixes in live bass and drums, adding a heavy backbeat to the band's swirling, genre-bending epics. Though each track is listed separately, the recording works as one solid piece with transitions that flow effortlessly into one another. The remixes themselves focus h   [ read more ]

CD $24.68

Aided by nearly two dozen guest musicians, this effort from the Afrocelts (aka the Afro-Celt Sound System) veers off in a slightly different direction from previous releases. Still present are the multi-culti layers of sound, the club-friendly beats, and the ethereal vocalists. What's missing is some of the hyper-kinetic energy and heavy drum presence that helped the first few Afro-Celt releases grab their audiences; in their place is a gentler, more soothing feel. Fiddler Eileen Ivers and {\fla   [ read more ]

CD $44.63

Aided by nearly two dozen guest musicians, this effort from the Afrocelts (aka the Afro-Celt Sound System) veers off in a slightly different direction from previous releases. Still present are the multi-culti layers of sound, the club-friendly beats, and the ethereal vocalists. What's missing is some of the hyper-kinetic energy and heavy drum presence that helped the first few Afro-Celt releases grab their audiences; in their place is a gentler, more soothing feel. Fiddler Eileen Ivers and {\fla   [ read more ]

CD $14.23

On Anatomic, the Afro Celt Sound System return as a streamlined quartet and to their original name. Following the CD/DVD remix project Pod, this is welcome return to the sound the band initiated on Seed. This is a group whose members no longer care about programming as their primary function, but instead work together -- writing, performing, and jamming -- as a band. The 14 guests here range from Celtic fiddle wizard Eileen Ivers to griot and kora master N'Faly Kouyate. The sheer heavin   [ read more ]

CD $14.23

You may never have thought of Celtic and African rhythms as complementing one another, but this very interesting effort takes both idioms into new territory with some engaging results. The outcome is a sort of hip-hop jig and reel, like the Chieftains meet the Chemical Brothers. Masamba Diop's masterful talking drum creates an exotic pulse under Myrdhin's fine Celtic harp, and it sounds like a party at some global crossroads. Indeed, the most fascinating aspect of Afro Celt Sound System's    [ read more ]

CD $14.23

Volume 2: Release, Afro Celt Sound System's eagerly anticipated second album, continues the group's dedication to hypnotic grooves and innovative arrangements. Ancient and electronic elements blend in a timeless, ethereal fashion, transcending world and dance genre labels. Sinead O'Connor provides vocals on the first track, and an interactive music game is included as a bonus track. Volume 2: Release is a complex, complete artistic statement from a unique, open-minded group. ~ Heather Phares, Al   [ read more ]

CD $14.23

Taken on its own, Volume 3: Further in Time is a fun, multi-textured album that combines a club groove with traditional sounds from Celtic music, Africa, and beyond. However, it does little to distinguish itself from previous Afro-Celt Sound System releases, so for people familiar with the band's previous work, the formula seems to be wearing a little bit thin. One highlight is "When You're Falling," which features a guest vocal from Peter Gabriel, but even that pales next to {$SinTad O'Conno   [ read more ]

CD $14.23