Trafico [Audio CD] Think of One

Think of One are an aggressively eclectic band from Antwerp, which is in the Flemish-speaking (Walloon) sector of Belgium. T.O.O. has been diligently attempting to evade fame by putting out seven albums under four aliases over five years. In fact, some collectors may already own a few of their releases unawares. The key to identifying their output is to be on the lookout for previously unimaginable juxtapositions of influences that can be from literally anywhere, as old as the ages or new as tomorrow. Big-band brass, clunky bass lines, electronica, quick-frozen beats, reggae, punk, samba, hip-hop and the proverbial kitchen sink are all grist for their mill. This time out, the tracks were composed and recorded in Recife, a city in Northern Brazil, sung in Flemish and Portuguese and mixed by an Englishman, two Belgians, a Frenchman and a Brazilian. Even amid the polyglot ambience that is presently taking the world and its music by storm, T.O.O. have relatively few forebears -- the French multi-kulti outfit Lo?Jo, and the wacky, faux-whatever 3 Mustaphas 3 outfit spring immediately to mind. But T.O.O.?s mad genius goes a step further -- the album is funny, enchanting, deranged, and absolutely essential. -- Christina Roden