Goran Bregovic

This may be his first U.S. release, but Goran Bregovic is one of the Balkans' most famous artists, with a storied career as both a folk-inspired film composer and a rock musician. Alkohol bridges those legacies, homing in on the fruitful intersections between the rollicking brass of Roma bands and rock, pop and hip-hop. Bregovic's take on this hybrid sound feels organic rather than gimmicky, whether he's screaming his guts out on the punkish "Trucker's Song," crooning like a Gypsy Stevie Wonder on the soulful "Ruzica" or wrangling the wild meters of wedding band jams like "Paradehtika."