This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Any seasoned traveller knows you can’t fully appreciate an exotic locale on the first visit.
You have to go back a few times, get to know your way around and get acquainted with the local colour to really make the most of a place. Take the Athens, Ga., quartet Macha: Their initial foray into what critics have dubbed Indo-rock and Moroccan roll — underground American music augmented by Indonesian zither, gongs and hammered dulcimer — produced one of last year’s most innovative, intriguing debut discs. But this return trip is where the fun really begins. Their tentative previous steps have now been replaced with sure-footed songcraft that confidently, fully integrates the various styles and sounds into an intoxicating, trancy swirl that suggests R.E.M. jamming with Balinese street musicians. It’ll carry you away — and keep you coming back for more.
