Glykainei kai Den Pahainei

Ekmek (Lyra) 13 tracks

“Glykainei kai den pahainei”, that is “it sweetens but doesn’t fatten”, is an apt title for this band’s first album. Its ambience is fun and the tracks–which nonetheless address a range of heavy issues like a fickle lover or economic realities–get a lift from the lightness in the music. Ekmek’s sound is distinctly Balkan, albeit Balkan light, as the combination of drums, accordion, bass, trumpet, harmonica, and guitars lacks the brassiness of the typical horn-heavy Balkan band. Track titles like “O Trapezitis” (The Banker) or “I Ballada tis Logikis” (The Ballad of Logic) suggest the songs’ content, Still, it’s a pleasing album that conveys a Greek sound that might be more palatable to non-Greek ears than the more intense laika or rebetika.