This review appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times on May 17, 2009.

AFROPOP | Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, "Odo Sanbra" (Thrill Jockey) 

Chicagoans are learning to share these local fixtures (often abbreviated OBDBI), who are gaining nationwide momentum with lightning speed. The Brothers' sound is rooted in Central and West African dance music. Guitarist Nathaniel Braddock adds expertise in highlife and dry guitar to the jazz and Television-influenced post-punk he plied with local rockers the Zincs. The combination appeals to seasoned Afropop fans and indie-hipsters alike.

For Western music points of reference, Braddock's lilting guitar on the title cut recalls the curlicue figures played by former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr on Talking Heads' "Nothing But Flowers." Those anticipating links to Paul Simon's "Graceland" might hear passing similarity in native Ghanaian Asamoah Rambo's effortlessly precise drumming and Joshua Ramos' slippery contrabass, but the Brothers' rhythm section is decisively hotter and settles deeper into authentic African culture.

Rambo and trumpeter/vocalist Kofi Cromwell were in popular Ghanaian highlife band Western Diamonds together, with little background in 1980's Europop -- the better to make an affectionate version of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" their own. Braddock has said the song's progression mirrors a highlife variant called sikyi. Cromwell's ever-so-slightly broken English only adds appeal.

The cover song is a canny introduction, but the album's highlights are band originals. Though sung in Cromwell's native Fante dialect, the jubilant chorus of "Odo Bra Wa Wa Wa" is immediate singalong material. Andrew Bird, another local devotee of African music, adds stirring violin to "Mafiwo." OBDBI mainstay Greg Ward's joyful saxophone dances through "Circle Circle Circle."

Jeff Elbel