Zdob Si Who?

Zdob Si Zdub is the only Moldovan band I've ever heard of. But even if they were, say, the 5,000,000th Moldovan band I'd run into, I'd still like them the best. After all, they have such a cool drummer.

Lots of Western pop music is derivative, and Eastern European music can be even more so, since it's basically imitating the Western derivative stuff. Not so with these guys. Sure, they may have learned their guitar techniques from Deep Purple, but there're all these folksy, homegrown tunes and instruments and other elements in here that come together in a delicious Moldovan potluck.

Check out their Web site, which has lots of free downloads, some links to other neat Moldovan stuff, and some funny English translations. They say you can buy their stuff on itunes, but I can't find it. They do seem to have a couple albums on Amazon, or, if you're in NYC and willing to schlep to Brighton Beach, you can find 'em there. Start with the older songs, from before someone told them they needed to market themselves to the West.

Intro Joc