You could say that these guys started it all. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem brought Irish music to the forefront of the folk movement in the '60s, paving the way for bands like Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys to come along a couple of generations later. And while the modern day purveyors of Irish music say what they have to say a lot louder and faster, the subject matter really hasn't changed that much since the recording of this show in 1963. The Clancy's sang about war ("Legion of the Rearguard,") girls ("Reilly's Daughter,") drinking ("The Juice of the Barley") and love of the homeland ("Galway Bay.") This 2 CD live set, peppered with humorous between-song dialogue, is a perfect example of why this band was so popular for so long.

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Fact
(Self-titled)
Vagrant

This Japanese band essentially plays melodic metal but their sound is hard to pigeonhole. "Los Angeles" has the overall feel of an emo tune despite the crunching guitars and lightning-fast drumbeats; the song even contains a brief interlude that borrows heavily from "Talk to Ya Later" by the Tubes. In fact there may not be enough heaviness here to satisfy hardcore metal heads but there is certainly enough to get the head bangin' here and there. Unlike many Japanese bands Fact deliver their vocals in English and musically there is really nothing to indicate that the group hails from anywhere other than the good old U.S. of A. They do, however, add a little mystery to their live show by appearing on stage wearing traditional Japanese masks.

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Nancy
Keep Cooler
(Self-released)

Nancy is not a person but rather a sextet out of Brasilia, Brazil that's fronted by singer Camila Zamitri. Zamitri has a nice voice and she phrases like a relaxed and girlier version of Chrissie Hynde. There is only the briefest taste of Zamitri's talent here though; this E.P. contains only four offerings and two of them are different mixes of "Keep Cooler." Zamitri sings her dreamy pop in English and this is another band that you'd never peg as being from Latin America just by listening.

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The Idan Raichel Project
Within My Walls
Helicon/Cumbancha

Raichel is an Israeli artist who sings in Hebrew but this album goes far beyond the borders of any particular genre. Much of Within My Walls is done in the style of Israeli pop music but the album begins on a Latin note as Raichel turns the vocals over to Colombian singer Marta Gomez who sings in Spanish on "Todas las Palabras." None of Within My Walls is sung in English but it is fairly easy for the listener to understand that these songs are about desire and uncertainty and if more specifics are needed each lyric is translated into English in the generous booklet that accompanies the CD.