Cafe Republica

Café Republica formed in London in the early 1990s, with Dave McAlmont as their frontman. Their sound pulled from alternative rock and ska, with some world music touches. Their first album didn't find much of an audience, but they kept working. In 1997, their second album 'Bloke' changed things. The single 'Almost Nothing Can Be Planned By Us' became a hit, its title a pretty good summary of how things had gone for them up to that point.

They put out more albums after that, like 'Postcards from the Western Sahara' in 1999 and 'Seven Years' in 2011. Songs like 'Caravana' and 'Jardim dos Olhos' show the band's range, moving between driving rhythms and more atmospheric moments. McAlmont's lyrics and delivery often carried a direct, sometimes pointed quality that drew attention, for better or worse.

The band's lineup shifted over time, which isn't unusual, but they maintained a core identity. They weren't a group that settled into one predictable mode after their breakthrough. Their music from different periods has its own character, whether it's the urgency of their mid-90s work or the more layered production on later records.