I'm not sure what Kruzenshtern and Parohod were aiming at by naming their album The Craft of Primitive Klezmer. While there's certainly loads of craft going on here, and indeed a certain amount of klezmer influence, "primitive" isn't a word you could apply to the record -- except maybe to the cheerfully cartoonish, mostly nonverbal squawk and babble that makes up the infrequent vocals. This music is experimental yet groovy, making the biggest claim to its alleged genre through Russel Gross's agile clarinet work. Certain passages, like the chaotic clarinet solo in "March", recall avant-garde jazz more than anything else, while the groovy funk-rock rhythm line in "Danglers Song" lies beneath mysterious woodwind melodies in an intriguing blend of traditional and modern. There's nothing solemn or old-world about The Craft of Primitive Klezmer; K&P give the music a lighthearted improvisational feel, but sound very pulled-together thanks to the insanely tight rhythm section of Igor Krutogolov and Yog Schechter. The production, while solid, also shows a taste for experimentation. "Cul-de-Sac" has some of the more interesting touches: it begins with tinnily far-away drums, adds clarinet and bass at normal volume, and brings in an old-time scratchy-record overlay midway through.

Ultimately, The Craft of Primitive Klezmer is more garage than wedding -- the beginning of a thoroughly modern tradition.