Coming from Israel, Asaf Avidan & The Mojos are a group that have made it to stardom without the help of a record label, the media or booking agents. The industry realised this band's talent when they began selling out the venues they were playing in at home and quickly took it on board, with the red carpet rolled out all the way.

Singing in English is taboo in Israel as the locals are meant to sing in Hebrew, Asaf points out though that by singing in English '...the people understood so much faster what we were about'.

Already released in Israel, their album, The Reckoning is now ready for international release. If it makes as much noise as it did in Israel then this band are set for international stardom and in their own right too.

The Reckoning is a mixture of the '60s indie rock sound with some folk and blues thrown into the mix. Asaf's vocals are unusually high and he projects his voice through screams, rage, pleads and whispers. All are highly charged with emotion.

'Maybe You Are' opens this album with a folk sound in a slow and emotional song. Asaf's voice penetrates the heart with the sound of desperation and love. A great opener for the album which really sets the tone.

Moving on to a rocky, indie punk feel is 'Her Lies'. It's a suave sound that has a certain swagger and attitude to it. This has to be one of my favourite tracks on the album, the guitar plays out in pure genius style.

I like the softness to 'Reckoning Song', which then turns harder through Asaf's vocals. As the lyrics are repeated 'One day baby we'll be old...' despair creeps in and takes over the song making it strong in the emotional ratings.

On the Blues front 'A Phoenix Is Born' plays out loud. Once again Asaf's vocals command the track but unfortunately its only 1 min, 3 sec in length, however, it sets up the tone for 'Over You Blues' which carries on the blues sound with a great energy and vibe.

The fast paced 'Growing Tall' infuses modern funk with indie punk and a little folk too. This is a high energy track which makes you breathless from just listening. The melody is catchy and certainly gets you jiggling in your seat.

'Of Scorpions And Bells' closes this album on a low chilled sound, with strings, emotional vocals from Asaf and the notes from a much loved piano. Truly magnificent. Carry on listening to this track once the song comes to an end as at 6 minutes there is a bonus track that plays.

This band certainly deserve all the airtime and media coverage they get, this is a band that melts in your ears and you just can't help but love them.

8

Helena Rea