This is the eighth installation of Dutch label Konkurrent's "In the Fishtank" series. The idea behind the series is to snag independent bands that happen to be passing through The Netherlands on tour, stick them in the studio for a few days, and see what happens. The sessions are, by nature, impromptu, and there are no expectations for what is to happen. The series has featured several pairings of bands that don't sound like they would complement each other -- take June of 44 and The Ex, for instance, who together recorded one of Konkurrent's most successful "Fishtank" releases.

This latest edition brings together the dirgey American indie-folk band Willard Grant Conspiracy and German electronic experimentalists Telefunk. This could have been a very odd pairing indeed, with a possible clash between the acoustic WGC and electronic Telefunk -- but instead, Telefunk's contributions are relatively minimal, amounting mainly to upright bass and a few sinuous programmed beats, whereas the original sound of the WGC, dominated by Robert Fisher's profound, seemingly bottomless baritone, is much more prominent. This release also marks the first time that the bands involved actually rehearsed together before entering the studio, and the result is a wonderful mix of the eclectic stylings of both acts.

The bands decided that instead of coming up with original material on the spot, as had been the practice with most other Fishtank releases, that they would record renditions of several traditional songs dating from around 1900. By and large, these collaborations are quite successful. While Telefunk's odd experimentalism certainly doesn't dominate the sessions, it's different enough to keep this from sounding like another WGC release. Most obvious are electronic touches, like the funky trip-hoppish beat laid down for "Grun Grun" (an adaptation of a traditional German sing-along). Telefunk singer Esther Sprikkelman sings the song in the original German, while Fisher intones his part in English. The juxtaposition of the two languages, the percolating beat, and WGC's David Michael Curry's swirling violins combine to make the song quite a transformational experience. Elsewhere, the bands inject a bit of humor into Malvina Reynolds' "Just a Little Rain" (known elsewhere as "What Have They done to the Rain"), with a croaking bowed bass sounding much like a bullfrog, and Sprikkelman's German accent turning the line "What have they done to the rain" into "Vhat heff dey done to da rain". Funny accents, aside, it's one of the best songs on the disc.

Occasionally, the bands sound like they're trying a bit too hard to maintain the traditional feel of these songs. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but a song like the traditional hymn "Near the Cross", when sung with the vibratoed fervor that WGC's David Michael Curry gives it, comes across as something better suited to a churchy Sunday morning than to the speakers of your home stereo. While that was probably the intention, the result makes my skin crawl a tiny bit. By and large, however, this is an intriguing collaboration between two eclectic bands who reside on two very different ends of the pop spectrum.