Kronos Quartet - Nuevo

They're pretty reliable, Kronos; as a collective, they seem to have a really good ear for what will work, and so their experiment-collaborations with disparate musicians and musical traditions from around the world all seem to come off. This one's a Mexico-inspired record, featuring (as far as I can work out) the quartet reworking a mix of traditional/folk songs written between the 1920-1960s and a few more recent compositions, and it makes for a consistently enjoyable, interesting, rewarding and immediate listen (very diverse, too, which makes the sustained quality all the more impressive). Pretty lively for the most part, waltz/tangoish tempos and colourful, textured instrumentation and dynamics oft punctuated by effects including wolf-whistles, gunshots and general clatter - really good all over. My favourites are the slide and swirl of "Se Me Hizo Facil" ("It Was Easy For Me"), the minor key Morricone-isms of "Perfidia" ("Perfidy", natch), highlighted by musical leaf solo, and the slink and scuttle of "Tabu" ("Taboo").