Stone Soup After Many Days

People talk about mixing things, about a remix culture, and about "world music", and usually it's pairing two things that are fairly similar at the outset. At the most ridiculous, you get a band like Extreme (Remember them? yeah, the name was because they had the temerity to mix Pop metal with accoustic ballads! how... extreme) but at the most sublime, you get a band like Rage Against the Machine, which recasts music for the listener (sincerely, how many people thought of Led Zep as a funk band, or Erik B and Rakim as a rock band before hearing Rage?)
Spain's After Many Days are closer to the Rage end of things than the Extreme. But, After Many Days are mixing a lot of things. Like a Stone Soup, we start with music- they're mixing prog rock, metal, hip hop, jazz and traditional gallic folksong, then add in some electronics, and then, have the lyrics in three languages (Spanish, French, and English). But, the trick, as always, is to get the mix right so that musically, it works, and sounds good. After Many Days get the mix right, and on either of their EPS, the sound is polished and professional (a feat by itself for a self-producing band) and always organically flowing. It doesn't sound like seperate things, but, rather, as a cohesive band. What is that sound? Like Primus meets Deftones on the Red Hot Chili Peppers yacht, to play some Jacques Brel and Gang Starr songs. I don't expect them to become a big commercial hit, but I bet other musicians are intrigued already. Look for bands to be referencing them as an influence, much like the band they most remind me of, Faith No More.
Now I just hope they can tour, because their stage show looks impressive.