Indies Scope Records out of Prague publish another gem! The Odd Gifts are a Czech band who dedicate this album to the migrant situation occurring throughout Europe.

While the view of the artists and this blog would be at loggerheads as to the causes and effects of the migrant situation, it is still a good gesture on their part to work with musicians who themselves are coming from outside the country, practicing what they preach (a rare thing these days).

The name of the album has two possible meanings/inspirations:

It wasn’t easy to choose the title Migrant Songs, because this topic was so omnipresent already a year ago. But I could not turn back, as the songs really started to work and communicate under this overarching title. They became truly Migrating Songs, producing ever new analogies, meanings, exchanging sounds, themes, guest musicians, and even authors. (Three of the songs are to a different extent remixes of other songs.) For me, looking for analogies is a way to a more complex perspective. I enjoy moments when what at first looks like a comical parallel yields the possibility of a new point of view, a new encounter.

Ondřej Galuška has done quite a job synthesizing post-punk, a touch of ska, new folk, jazz, and good songwriting. Particularly engaging was the song “So Divine.”

Click on the picture if you would like to purchase the album directly from Indies Scope Records.