Sampling: Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta!

GOGOL BORDELLO
SUPER TARANTA!
Side One Dummy 2007

By Nick McGregor

Every once in a while, a band comes along that not only defies categorization but throws any hope of description out the window. In 2007, that band is Gogol Bordello, whose latest album Super Taranta! combines poetic gypsy waltzes, European folk and pulsing punk rhythms to form an exuberant explosion of clashing cultures. Comprised of nationalities from across Europe (lead singer Eugene Hutz was a Ukrainian refugee after the Chernobyl disaster), Gogol Bordello formed in New York City and eventually took that city by storm with feverish performances full of violins, accordions, found percussion and maniacal vocals. And although they resemble some sort of discarded circus side-act, Gogol Bordello fills their gypsy rock out with political, personal, and at times hilarious lyrics detailing the life of America’s immigrant class.

“Super Theory of Super Everything” combines a Hebrew sound with atheist lyrics, while the Celtic-influenced “Harem In Tuscany” and the cinematic “My Strange Uncles From Abroad” deal with the realities of struggling with Americanization. “Your Country” and “American Wedding” poke fun at the homogenization of U.S. culture, but the real standout on Super Taranta! is “Tribal Connection,” a dub-and-reggae-influenced jam lamenting the lack of genuine excitement and community celebration in NYC. Its catchy “No can do this/ No can do that” chorus could easily serve as a radio single, while Hutz’s belief in global citizenry trumping nationalism could do the world well in these fractured times.

What really sets Gogol Bordello apart from other category-specific bands is the infectious energy and fevered pitch that runs throughout Super Taranta! Even slow songs, such as the hauntingly painful ballad “Alcohol,” build to powerful climaxes, punctuated more often than not by group shouts and outbursts of instrumentation. And where the majority of American music often focuses on the widespread problems of our culture, for Gogol Bordello America represents a vehicle for endless possibility. Where else could a roving band of gypsies turn genre-bending fun into a sustainable and successful representation of true world music?