Review / 200 Words Or Less
Farmers Market
Surfin U.S.S.R.

Ipecac (2008) Kevin Fitzpatrick

Farmers Market – Surfin U.S.S.R. cover artwork
Farmers Market – Surfin U.S.S.R. — Ipecac, 2008

Those familiar with Ipecac Recordings know that regardless of the release, whether the listener likes it or not, it will, above all else, be different.

Farmers Market is a Norwegian band specializing in Bulgarian folk music presented at an even faster tempo, with a smattering of just about everything else you can think of. The result can most assuredly be called "quirky." Taking a page from their North American peers, the Market have ridiculously long song titles (only unlike their peers, the titles are actually clever) such as "One Day, Son, All I Own Will Belong to the State" and "From Prussia With Love." Sure to be noted by the listener is the band's cover of "Lodtschitze Mini Maritza" otherwise known as "Ferry Cross the Mersey." The klezmer and surf guitar sound serve the music well, adding an absurd quality that rides but never crosses that oh-so-fine line between self-deprecation and self-parody.

Farmers Market – Surfin U.S.S.R. cover artwork
Farmers Market – Surfin U.S.S.R. — Ipecac, 2008

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