Gogol Bordello is a group that will never slow down. Album after album, show after show, Eugene Hütz and his group of enthusiastic, disheveled gypsies continue to make fantastically inventive, provocative, smart, raucous music that refuses to be categorized or confined. But Gogol Bordello isn't trying to separate itself from the crowd in order to limit its audience, to attract only a select group of people; instead, their inclusion of so many different musical forms -- besides gypsy, there's also dub, punk, flamenco, Italian folk, and eggae on Super Taranta! -- only serves to broaden their allure, to give them a kind of universal appeal that transgresses geographic and cultural boundaries. It's the pure form, rather than the homogenized, that's stifling and limited. "I wanna walk this earth like it is mine/And so is everyone in our fun-loving tribe/C'mon man, is that real so much to ask?" Hütz asks in his charming dialectic English in the song "Tribal Connection," gently prodding his listeners to move beyond themselves and their cultural restraints and to look towards a globalized society where birthplace and familial origin are only two factors of many. He pokes fun at the U.S. ("Have you ever been to American wedding?/Where is the vodka, where is marinated herring?"), but it's in a lighthearted way, from someone who's benefited from its diversity, and though he's sometimes nostalgic for home (in "Suddenly...(I Miss Carpaty)," for example) it's also clear he has an affection for the country he now lives in. The album itself is Gogol Bordello's usual mix of riotous gypsy rhythms, fast string and accordion work, and loud guitars, but there's also a melodiousness here that comes out more strongly than on the band's previous albums, an underlying darkness that hints at the problems in the world without succumbing to them. "I can't go on, I will go on" Hütz repeats over and over in "Forces of Victory," the tension in his voice and the music working together to express the struggle holding him, and all people, back. This is what he's best at, actually, his ability to convey the common human experience, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or even language. Hütz, like every great vocalist -- and he is one, although not in the traditional sense -- doesn't rely on only the safety net of words to communicate his message, so even when he sings in Ukrainian or English or whatever else, his intent, his ideas, his passion (and needless to say those of the band, who combine rustic folk progressions with modern punk stylings seamlessly) is always comprehensible. Super Taranta! is the culmination of superb musicianship, endless energy, and an inborn sense of fun and a dedication to progression and innovation, and if that's not something to celebrate and dance to, it's hard to know what is.
--- - |- Sorry we're not quite as quick and nimble as some of our online brethren, but we do our best. All photos by Dave Donovan Evans, MOKB Staff Photographer. You can see the entire photoset from MOKB's Lollapalooza Day One at his flickr. More photos by Dave and words by Greg...AFTER THE JUMP...Greg's Quick Recap of Day One: I arrived in Chicago Early Friday morning, but not before g...
More >
Great show. Great gypsy. Great klezmer. Great jigs. Who knew "world beat" didn't have to suck? (This vid is not from Vegas but catches the general vibe.)Song lyrics | Alcohol lyrics
More >
I've got a 1967 Random Ten ready to post, but I just got back from seeing Gogol Bordello live, and wanted to post my thoughts on that now.Holy shit.That's the quick review. I suppose I could say a few more things. There's the music itself, which you can appreciate via their records, what they call Gypsy Punk. Then there's the stage performance, and that's where the holy shit comes in.There are ...
More >
Madonna has called up Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz to perform with her this weekend at the London leg of Live Earth, according to Yahoo news.Sergey Ryabtsev, the New York gypsy punk act's violinist was also invited to perform with the Material Girl this Saturday (July 7).The invitation from Madonna is appearntly linked to an unrelated project Hutz is working on with the pop star. Details...
More >
Sure it may seem like MOG is different now from when we first joined, sure there are a lot of people no longer here we wish still were, and I'm sure we all feel like we don't comment and post enough, but remember- There were never any good old days, they are today, they are tomorrow, it's a stupid thing we do, cursing tomorrow with sorrow...
More >
Gogol Bordello has released a new video for the track "Wonderlust King" from their July 10th release ??Super Taranta!??(SideOneDummy records).If we are led to believe what we see in the video, it turns out the band's frontman Eugene Hutz is commonly bouncing around from the far reaches of the Eurasia through Europe to the shores of North America, making people dance sing and be jubilant but "wi...
More >
I've got a 1967 Random Ten ready to post, but I just got back from seeing Gogol Bordello live, and wanted to post my thoughts on that now.Holy shit.That's the quick review. I suppose I could say a few more things. There's the music itself, which you can appreciate via their records, what they call Gypsy Punk. Then there's the stage performance, and that's where the holy shit comes in.There are ...
More >
Great show. Great gypsy. Great klezmer. Great jigs. Who knew "world beat" didn't have to suck? (This vid is not from Vegas but catches the general vibe.)Song lyrics | Alcohol lyrics
More >
what can i say... love it, i think i need a drink!
More >
First i was afraid but then i was completely addict... HIs drunk accent is something "verry interresting, its like parrty all the time" Fiesta
More >
--- - |- Sorry we're not quite as quick and nimble as some of our online brethren, but we do our best. All photos by Dave Donovan Evans, MOKB Staff Photographer. You can see the entire photoset from MOKB's Lollapalooza Day One at his flickr. More photos by Dave and words by Greg...AFTER THE JUMP...Greg's Quick Recap of Day One: I arrived in Chicago Early Friday morning, but not before g...
More >
Gogol Bordello is set to embark on a North American tour set to kick-off tonight (September 25) in New Orleans. The extensive jaunt will take the band to several major cities including Austin, San Diego, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York before ending on January 3rd in Washington D.C. Gogol Bordello Tour dates:New Orleans, LA House of Blues (September 25) Austin, TX Austin City Limits / Zil...
More >
Yes, we've reached the 120 mark! Considering how long this site has been up, I'm not sure if I should celebrate or not. According to my therapist though, I'm on a negative thought stopping program, so...Hip! Hip! Hooray! And to celebrate the database reaching the 120 artist mark - what you see above, is a nifty collage of all the artists that you guys have submitted to the site. It's a...
More >
Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Super Taranta!")
