NOFX bring punk-rock to the far-flung corners of the globe in this documentary series. Brazil, Russia, Malaysia, and South Africa are among the stops in this wild journey that let's viewers come along to enjoy the ride--and the music. Included here are eight episodes with the Los Angeles band. 8656 Where Africa Meets the Orient, an album of essentially Middle Eastern music from the English cultural troupe Noor Shimal. Two members are British folklorists, one an Algerian expatriate, and one a guest from North Africa. The lead vocals are taken by Vivienne Corringham, who does a good job of emoting through the works, but there is a bit missing in the full performance that makes her sound a bit dry. Her accent seems to block the ability to get the proper throatiness for a Middle Eastern song. Amel Benhassine provides a rather more authentic vocal style, but with somewhat less power behind it. The instrumental work is quite sparse, but functional. The extent of it is an oud or banjo along with some percussion and the occasional flute. It's something of a Nubian sound quite often with such an emphasis on the oud, which is played in a relatively sparse style itself. When they get far enough into the instrumental runs, there's some noteworthy energy to be heard in the oboe, but beyond that it's a rather sedate version of Middle Eastern music here. Give it a listen as a low-level primer in the field of Middle Eastern and North African music, but dig for the readily available stars of the various regions soon afterward to experience the full range of quality music available in the genre. ~ Adam Greenberg