Never heard of the Mark Almond Band. Learn something new every day. Hmm. Their “The City” (long song!) seems to be one of their better pieces?:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7xkoiODV1ZE
Somehow remind me of Les Escrocs (A French group who do tongue-in-cheek stuff sort of making fun of that genre). Or maybe I’m just weird. Their best-known song here in the States is ASSEDIC:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lwOg9HwrxxM
If you don’t speak French, here’s another group covering ASSEDIC with English subtitles (ASSEDIC is the French government unemployment insurance agency):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=klIwRQ8kxvU
Les Escrocs do some silly-funny stuff, but sometimes biting social commentary (like this one about the Muslims taking over France while the French have no babies and their new Muslim citizens have lots). It’s sort of The Babylon Bee meets Beatnik coffee house poetry reading meets Charles Trenet (and they’re kinda poking fun at the latter two, too). Loukoum et Camembert (Turkish Delight and Camembert):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qjcpE4uLrJ0
I recognize that Mark Almond tune “The City” but I didn’t know whose song it was. Reminds me of Sade. Being totally unsophisticated, I like it.
For a brief time (thank God) there was a sophisticated station in LA dedicated to “world music”, which must have been distantly related to this style but managed to be consistently horrible. Aimless sound in search of a tune. My neighbors across the way loved it and would serenade the ‘hood with their outdoor speakers. Maybe it kept the rats and coyotes at bay, I dunno. It kept me at bay.