“Chiki-Bum!” is the debut album of the Instrumental Dugout Chanson Ensemble (IBASH), born not in a recording studio but in the army. No gloss, no filters, no needless pathos — but plenty of humor, pain, and very live intonations.
“Chiki-Bum!” features 12 songs born in a military context. There is the irony and the sensibility of chanson, jazz absurdity, simple human tenderness, and the black humor that works better than any body armor. These are not “songs about the war” — they are songs from inside the war, made for everyone living on this side of the silence.
The album was recorded with the support of Cultural Forces.
IBASH does not try to be comfortable. We try to be honest. And if this album makes it a little easier for service members and civilians to talk to each other, then it was all worth it.
