#13 Acollective 
Israel is the next destination in this musical adventure. In an attempt to melt brains, please try and decipher this statement from the band themselves describing their music.
“Acollective is the resonating echoes of quacking ducks in a sealed room, a dual-headed machine of construction-yard-nihilism consuming everything in its path, from banged-up Folk to burned-down Middle-Eastern-Funk, breaking hips and shaking hearts along the way.”
Can you make any sense of that? To anyone concerned, their music does not sound anything like ducks or any other kind of animal for that matter. Instead there is a hypnotic blend of genres with a bluesy twang that make this seven-piece from Tel Aviv a very exciting prospect indeed.
Adding instruments like a saxophone, harmonica or even glass bottle percussion could be a warning that the band are trying too hard to create an authentic sound. Fortunately, the songs on album ‘Onwards’ are very well-crafted and there doesn’t seem to be a single note out of place.
Before starting this blog there was an in-built kind of snobbery regarding music quality. It was presuming that music from other countries might not be at the same standard if they aren’t well known for musical exports. It is bands like Acollective that have changed that view. It isn’t really an epiphany as the possibility has always been there. It really is just the case of finding these hidden treasures. The expectation was that it would be a bit rough around the edges due to the fast-paced nature of songs like ‘Simon Says’. The below live video shows how this isn’t the case and shows how their live show quickly gathered a reputation in Tel Aviv. Lyrics like ‘Better do what Simon says ’cause Simon says that Simon says you need an effort from me’ are devilishly simple but the rest of the song shows the band’s quirkiness and eccentricity.
The album features a number of slower-paced songs as well like ‘Working Title’ but the change of tempo does not dampen the enthusiasm. It shows a band brimming with ideas and who aren’t scared of sharing them. There isn’t one defined style and having terms like ‘folk/blues hybrid’ being thrown at them might seem daunting. Taking all this on board, it is easy to see why they have already toured the UK and France supporting artists like Okkervil River and Jose Gonzalez.
Around the World in 80 Bands 