Gogol Bordello

Multi Kontra Culti Vs. Irony (2004)

Jesse Raub

Gogol Bordello is the brainchild of musical madman Eugene Hutz, and is a complete mess of dancebeats, Balkan gypsy music, and punk. With varied instrumentaion including saxophone, violin, accordian, and drums, bass, and guitar, we get a crazy ethnic explosion of genre mixing. Some people might describe them as the Bulgarian version of Flogging Molly. I guess that's sort of what they are. But with dance beats.

On this release, Hutz gives us eleven tracks of insanity, varying tempos, but never intensity. The listener gets consistently blasted by Hutz's heavy drawling growl and his word reversal, thick with accent. The saxophone, violin, and accordian mix beautifully and are played quick, sharp, and robustly. The bass and guitar are generally just a background for the rest of the instruments to shine greatly.

The problem is that it gets a little old after awhile. Their side project, J.U.F. is a bit more varied, while this is a lot more straightforward. I'd say this is definitely geared towards those who like straight forward punk, while J.U.F. is for those who appreciate experimental music more.

Tracks that stick out are "When the Trickster Starts A-Poking" and "Punk Rock Parranda."