Turns Out Aliens Are Jewish, and Love a Good Party

This Sunday evening the World Cafe will host, at their Downstairs Live venue, a CD release party/performance by a truly unique act: Klingon Klez. They're local, unless you believe their press release (which says the band is "made up of genuine aliens
disguised as of some of Philly's best-known jazz, funk and dixieland musicians"), but we're betting they'll sound pretty foreign to most of you. That's because they play a traditional Jewish style of music called Klezmer, but spice it up by fusing it with jazz, funk, Latin sounds, and outer space, thus ending up with something that's a little bit nerdy, a little bit hippie (in the out-there, quasi-mystical kind of sense), a little bit silly, and a little bit just plain fun. We're saying this after having given a number of thorough listens to the disc they're celebrating the release of this Sunday, Blue Suede Jews.

The album cover, as you can see, features an Elvis impersonator throwing two Vulcan "live long and prosper" symbols as he stands on the hood of an interstellar hot rod that's packed with aliens from various sci-fi universes, including, of course, a Klingon (at the wheel, no less), a Dalek from "Doctor Who," and Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still. If that wasn't enough to establish their geek cred, their songs have titles like "When the Fat Klingon Sings" and "Return of the Alien Bar Mitzvah Tutor." (Our favorite of their titles, however, is definitely that of their previous album, Honey Would You Be Meshuga Tonight?) The liner notes of the CD - which provide goofy, abstract meditations on the meaning of each track instead of lyrics (of which there are few anyway; many tracks are instrumental only) - are also loaded with references to Star Trek and other spacey things.

But enough about the packaging. What about the music? Klezmer grows out of a tradition of dance songs for weddings and other celebrations, so appropriately the entire CD - with the exception of some slower, prettier instrumentals like "Heartsong" and "Escape from Reality" - sounds like a big intergalactic dance party. (As such it'll be the perfect soundtrack to the celebration of its own release. Like, woah.) Some of the songs are traditional, others are original; some are accompanied by Jack Kessler's odd vocals, and some are not; but all are silly, airy and fun-loving. The album has a strange sound that is certainly not for all tastes - the jazz they've added to their fusion is more smooth, easy, and synthesized than Phillyist generally likes - and it's probably not one we'll be listening to very often. But we bet it'll translate well to a live performance, and the party will be a good time.

Klingon Klez CD release party
World Cafe Live (3025 Walnut St.)
Sun (5/7), 7:30PM, $18 (under 13 free)

Image courtesy Jack Kessler