“Top of the World” Album
Nominee for Best Group
"The debut from this young, London-based band celebrates every facet of Bengali music – from folk tunes to mystical Baul poetry via film themes, protest songs and even Bangladesh's national anthem. But although it's essentially an album of covers, they're delivered with a refreshing originality and a dynamic rock-influenced energy. A Top of the World in [Songlines] #111." -
“… a band who veer extraordinarily from raw folk rock into delicious classical gloom, tender romanticism into 21st Century Baul tradition and several uncategorised points in between. … What's striking about Khiyo is the way each seemingly disparate element is played with the same conviction. They are as much a visceral rock band as they are intrepid interpreters of traditional Bengali songs.”
“Musically this is an album that's not afraid to take chances and there's an unrestrained inventiveness and sense of adventure running through it that's mind-boggling in its execution, with flourishes of jazz, folk and rock shot through the traditional music that forms the backbone of this remarkable piece of work.”
“[A] Joyful celebration of everything Bengali. This promising debut … opens thrillingly with the electric-guitar-heavy 'Akashta Kanpchhilo Kyan' (Why Did the Sky Shudder?), a defiant Baul number that cites the call to prayer's inherent melody…. Khiyo's self-titled debut is a refreshing, original collection and is a fitting testament of Bengali identity.”
“A Bengali/British band from London with a really interesting sound. ”
“...imagine what would have happened if Pete Townshend had gone to India with the Beatles. Now invest in it. Get this CD.”
“A lovely fusion of sound”
“A very cool mix of London rhythms with traditional Bangladeshi songs and music. Here is one of those times where fusion really works!”
“Lucid and Evocative”
“If the new generation continues in this way, for those of us who are trying to preserve our cultural heritage, it will count as a thing of joy.”