Golem, a New York City-based folk collective, have funneled their sound through Eastern Europe on their label debut, Fresh Off Boat (out Aug. 22), and "Warsaw Is Khelm" is that album's accordion-fueled, gypsy-punk gem. The eccentric sextet recruited Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer to sing the elaborate Yiddish folk tale with vocalist/tambourine player Aaron Diskin. "The song is about a guy who leaves a town called Khelm in Poland where everyone is known to be stupid," bandleader/accordion player Annette Ezekiel told SPIN.com. "He leaves to go to Warsaw but gets lost and ends up back in Khelm. He's so stupid that he thinks he's actually in Warsaw. The moral is any place can be any place else -- it doesn't matter where you are."

Now Hear This:
Golem - "Warsaw Is Khelm" (Download MP3)

Talk: If Golem's boat washed up on your shore, would you let them through customs? COMMENT

On the Web: golemrocks.com