Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta! [2007]
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From the frenetic hip-hop of Balkan Beat Box to
the subtler instrumental textures of A Hawk And A Hacksaw, the
traditional gypsy music of Eastern Europe is becoming an
increasingly prominent feature of the U.S. alternative rock scene.
By far the most fun of all the acts influenced by the genre are New
York’s hugely entertaining ‘gypsy punks’ Gogol Bordello, winners of
this year’s Radio 3 Award For World Music (in the Americas
category). Led by the resplendently-moustachioed Ukrainian refugee,
Eugene Hütz, this loose collective of musicians from around the
globe has become a huge hit on the UK festival scene over the last
few years, whipping audiences into a frenzy with their whirling
dervish fiddles and accordions, Clash-like guitar riffing and Hütz’s
incendiary stage presence.
Inevitably, Bordello lose a little of their live show’s intensity on
record, but Super Taranta, their fourth album, is still a real
blast. Existing fans will lap up riotous romps like ‘’Supertheory Of
Supereverything’’ and ‘’Harem In Tuscany (Taranta)’’ which follow
the tried and tested Hütz formula of building slowly from cabaret
waltz to a breakneck speed crescendo. And although there’s nothing
quite as anthemic as ‘’Start Wearing Purple’’ from 2005’s
breakthrough Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike, there’s arguably
more in the way of invention. ‘‘Tribal Connection’’ flirts with
reggae yet somehow ends up sounding like Men At Work’s 80s smash,
‘’Down Under’’, while the near-seven minutes of the closing title
track hurtle to and fro across a bewildering array of tempos,
showcasing the band’s musical virtuosity to impressive effect.
A strong advocate of Romany culture and opponent of authoritarianism
in all forms, Hütz’s lyrics are another highlight of Super Taranta.
Often controversial, always impassioned and sometimes hilarious, his
cross-cultural observations, delivered with an engagingly eccentric
lexicon that occasionally veers off into his mother tongue, never
fail to beguile. And if there is another songwriter who could
concoct the couplet ‘Have you ever been to an American wedding,
where is the vodka, where’s marinated herring,’ then this reviewer
is yet to hear them.
Chris White
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. Originally published on BBC World Review.
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