Under Review

Gogol Bordello

Trans-Continental Hustle

Columbia Records

Review By Sarah Charrouf

Gogol Bordello - Trans-Continental Hustle
Gogol Bordello – Trans-Continental Hustle

If you’ve never listened to Gogol Bordello before (incidentally, I wonder where you’ve been hiding) the first thing you’ll notice is the band’s catchy gypsy-folk rhythms and lead singer Eugene Hutz’s enchanting Ukrainian accent. Trans-Continental Hustle, produced by Rick Rubin, is the newly released LP by the New York-based band. Like all of Gogol Bordello’s music, the assembly of violin, accordion and the conglomeration of percussion have the power of displacing anyone within earshot to an altogether different time and culture. You’ll be overcome by images of street vendors and dirt road block parties.

Gogol Bordello is known for their captivating live shows, but even without all the performative theatrics, Trans-Continental Hustle is certainly capable of arousing its listener from their daily slumber. In it’s entirety, the album is impassioned, enlivening and exotic. Still, the band has achieved a balance between upbeat songs like “Break The Spell” and slower jams like “Sun On My Side.” The arrangement of the album is practically flawless as it bounces between tempos and instrumentation. It’s hard not to crack a smile listening to this newest treasure released by the nine-piece band.