Artist Fishtank Ensemble

To call Fishtank Ensemble a lounge act would be a disservice to the staggering amount of skill that goes into the group’s frantically paced, eye-popping, “high-energy gypsy music.” Slapdash upright bass and furious jazz guitar licks provide rickety yet surefooted planks for whistling fiddle and violin to zigzag across. But of all the musical versatility on display, the absolutely bonkers range in Ursula Knudson’s voice—as it sings, scats, and laughs atop the group’s manic tunes—shines the brightest, if the listener can shake off the dizzy-spells the music evokes long enough to focus. “After You’ve Gone,” from 2010’s Woman In Sin, reveals a seaworthy crew capable of sailing around a world’s worth of influences without ever growing weary.

Updated 09/07/2011