Gogol Bordello returns with Seekers and Finders, 4 years after Pura Vida Conspiracy. The band offers us a 38-minute CD faithful to their style, gypsy punk.
Mixing traditional gypsy music from Eastern Europe and the Balkans with punk, Gogol Bordello became known for his festive, sometimes melancholic music with always political lyrics.
Since the early 2000s, the band has been performing concerts with extremely communicative energy, led by the very charismatic frontman Eugène Hütz. So, what's new for New York gypsy punk ?
Seekers and Finders remains an album by Gogol Bordello…
Gogol Bordello does not renew himself so much. After all, it's not a problem. Their style is what made them known: pioneers of the gypsy punk movement, their community expects no less than dancing and rebellious riffs. The first track of Seekers and Finders, Did It All, sets the tone, thanks to the crazy violin of Sergey Ryabtsev and the punk rhythms of drummer Alfredo Ortiz. Gogol Bordello invites us to a new journey: we return home with the same family but passing through different paths.
Walking on the Burning Coal and Break Into Your Higher Self are in the same vein. These are pieces that invite us to join the group in a dance that we already know, but always pleasant to perform.
"Keep inside that avalanche of joy
That shining light of luminescent eyes, ahoy!"
Gogol Bordello invites Russian-born singer Regina Spektor on the album's title track, Seekers and Finders.
The voices of the two singers blend perfectly and carry the melody. The next track, Familia Bonfire Ball remains a typical piece of what the band is capable of best.
…But explores new sounds
Thanks to Clearvoyance, Gogol Bordello moves away from the frenzied games of all the other titles.
The song opens with a bass a little dub that will carry the whole song.We hear percussion with bossa rhythms and marimba. Eugène Hütz sings of the moods of an immigrant whose life is rich thanks to his travels and encounters.
"Officer oh don't you know, I got a family wherever I go.
Besides my love to share I ain't got nothing to declare"
Blues Saboteur comes back more powerful, after a piece posed as Clearvoyance. The violin even makes the power chords of the guitars and the whole title makes us move our heads. Love Gangsters is the logical next step.
If I Ever Get Home Before Dark is a very beautiful song. It is built on a crescendo that, in the end, will let its full potential explode. The band then invites us to enjoy You Know Who We Are.
The album ends with Still That Way, an epic ballad that concludes this new opus in style.
Seekers and Finders is an album that will appeal to the oldest fans and the curious who would like to discover the band.
Gogol Bordello delivers an enthusiastic album, as close as possible to what they give in concert.
