At the heart of this album is a cluster of intriguing melodies and harmonies, played with great attention to the detail of the slow, asymmetric patterns that characterize modern Ambient-Folk. Innovative and engrossing, this musical mosaic recreates the journey of a soul over "The River" that connects life and death. Each song is a different snapshot of this journey delivered with Kin Za Za's uniquely contemplative quality. This is a masterly work: mesmeric in the restless shifts and slides of its theme, unstoppable in its streaming and transparent intensity. When the band is as good as this, there's nobody you can directly compare them with. But it's not unreasonable to bracket Kin Za Za alongside Tory Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Delirium, Dead Can Dance or even Peter Gabriel (Mirror) in terms of their overall energy, mood and musical/visual impact. However, as I mentioned above, Kin Za Za are definitely unique in their own right, and offer an impressive musical vision.

"#1 in Shambala" is a musical translation distantly derived from a "Tibetan Book of the Death". The duo has made of it something pleasingly old-fashioned, yet viscerally and sensually modern. The unobtrusive use of loops and samples in the band's work highlighted their inclination to explore the balance between the instrument's natural sonorities and electronic manipulations. The sound is infinitely layered, dense and yet transparent; numerous tracks of weaving, flirting melodic particles - bits of harmonium, cello, accordion, dripping piano, synths, and heavily chorused strings (I'm a dance) - share space with a vibrant, sparkling tide of acoustic guitar. Flying above it all are the vocals - pure, powerful and melodic. Dimitri's structural and harmonic depth and Jozy's vocal flexibility produced a stark and beautiful sonic sculpture. When implemented like this, it seems a unified emotional journey.

Another beauty of this album (DVD edition) is, the interaction of the sound and image: what you hear is almost impossible to separate from what you see. The link between music and videos never slackens. It comes as no surprise that Kin Za Za are obsessive filmmakers, a devourers of cinema history, and the generic inspiration for the bands name is Russian absurdist, sci-fi cult comedy "Kin Dza Dza".

12 songs comprising 50 min of sonic trip and there isn't a single second of music Kin Za Za can't be proud of. With a coating of light melodies revealing a colossal harmonic edifice, "#1 in Shambala" is smooth, soulful music for any generation. This is an album whose music lives in the mind, thanks to Kin Za Za's distinctive approach and outstanding production. This one goes straight into the list of my favorite albums of the year.