Karpov
Parasol
This Frontier Needs Heroes

Blending different types of folk music, if done with at least some respect for the traditions involved, is usually a good idea. In the case of Andre Karpov & the Kazaks, it's a great idea, and involves klezmer, Appalachian, and emo. (What, you didn't think emo was folk music?) Sad, slow, and drenched in vocal harmonies, Karpov's songs are made to sway along with; nothing that would spill your glass of cheap red, but plenty to inspire overflowing romantic notions. Charming and handsome, the bandleader tends to set girls' hearts to fluttering anyway. The band counts Tom Waits and Neil Young as influences, but neither of those guys makes such good use of the accordion.

-Hiya Swanhuyser (SF Weekly)

Karpov is a quintet of young American-born musicians with roots in Eastern Europe now living in SF's Mission District. You can hear the influence of gypsy and klezmer, thanks to the driving accordion and clarinet, in the dark swirling melodies of their songs. But there is a country bluesy feel as well. Throw in a little of Tom Wait's avant pop sound for good measure and you'll start to get an idea of this band's unique klezmer folk rock cabaret sound. It's no easy trick to blend all these influences, but Andre's songs have immediate appeal and stay with long after hearing them. The songs are by turns rye and intensely personal, filled at times with some pretty dark, gritty imagery. But he has a knack for writing catchy melodies, and there's a warm humanity flowing through these songs that gives them immediate appeal. Hear what NPR has to say about them.

With bands like the Arcade Fire handing in their dancing shoes for more sobering and anthemic shores, Parasol picks up the torch of woeful, passionate, thumping tunes, held up on the stilts of two distinct and uniquely beautiful voices, and the virtuosic talent of cellist Nathan Blaz. The end result is shake-your-hips, pound-your-feet rock delivered with real musical eloquence.