A GINORMOUS diamond in the rough.... from my vinyl vault: Gogol Bordello's, "Super Taranta!"

Gogol Bordello's Super Taranta!

This merry bunch of immigrant-punks have been knocking out their trademark sound of gypsy-punk since 1999 with their first album, Voi La Intruder. Gogol Bordello pulls from various forms of European folk music: Eastern European & Klezmer, Ukrainian, especially Balkan, and many others combined with intense heavy doses of various rock influences. A perfect pinch of each is put into mix, creating a glorious union of genres while creating a style that is truly their own.

Gogol Bordello has been building a steady fan-base along the way of constructing seven studio albums since Voi La Intruder. Though it was with their third album, Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, that the bands momentum truly took off. During the earlier period of the social-media craze with Myspace, each month a new band with a single and/or video was posted that millions of users would see/hear before logging in. Gogol Bordello was once featured on the front sporting their promotional single, "Start Wearing Purple" for the album and garnered the band even more attention.

Building upon this momentum, their next and fourth album to follow was Super Taranta! After the initial statement was made with Voi La Intruder, then stylistically harnessed with Multi Kontra Culti Vs. Irony, and then they were full embraced with the success of Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike. By that third album, and by switching to from Rubric Records to a more mainstream label with SideOneDummy Records; the group hit a critical turning point, they've gained both the attention, but now also the support they need and became truly limitless as a band. SideOneDummy Records being a bigger label, had the necessary muscle to provide better distribution for the bands records and related methods of support. At this point the band had mastered their craft; this album in particular, is arguably a creative high-point for the band and the results produced are arguably their best album up until that point-- or perhaps even yet!

Gatefold design containing two LP's.

The record is packaged brightly with a nice green background while portraying the band with nice cut-outs from live performances. What lies inside after you unfold the the stylish gatefold style cover, is an even more thrilling album properly dished out over the course of two LP's.

Things kick off rather bold with, "Ultimate" and then into a highly singable crowd-pleaser with, "Wonderlust King". Don't be fooled though, Gogol Bordello isn't a band that cares about playing it safe, things get to a wild chugging beat on, "Zina-Marina" and then explode with a brass-heavy chorus guest-starring Slavic Soul Party. Yuri Lemeshev then charms us his catchy and skillful accordion introduction on, "Supertheory Of Supereverything" with the energy constantly climbing before fading and wrapping side A of the first record.

The hard-hitting, "Harem In Tuscany (Taranta)" is ans infectious energetic tune, rich with melody and flaunting the bands instrumental showmanship; complete with an undeniably catchy chorus. The song gallops to an incredible climax and drop us out with an exciting transition into that irresistible chorus just once more before cooling things off just a tad with, "Dub The Frequencies of Love". The tempo keeps chugging along with the introduction of, "My Strange Uncles From Abroad" and possesses a dramatic fiddle line by the one and only Sergey Ryabtsev. Approaching end to the second side, Yuri belts out a fantastic and uplifting solo; followed by another solo by Sergey, and another chorus that has you shouting along in no time. As the first record comes to a close, the intensity has hinted the party has only just begun!

Back side & label.

 The second record jams out a fun shouting sing-along, "Tribal Connection" with just enough pace to keep things upbeat without losing any variety. Thomas "Tommy T" Gobena's bass line gives the song an incredible groove, and Yuri's reverb-drenched accordion provides a wonderful sense of atmosphere to the tune. Now that the band has given you a nice change of pace, they take you by storm with the thrashing speed of, "Forces of Victory". The flaring melodies jammed into the tight spaces of such a fast-paced song on this number is truly impressive. At the same time, you don't get the sense that they are simply trying to cram notes in or simply show off; it's a well written song full of melodic intensity-- the fact that they are showing off is merely coincidental. This song serves a great sense of purpose to the record in terms of tempo variations for side A of the second LP. They begin to wrap up side A of the second record with a calmer tone in, "Alcohol" ; and then conclude this side with "Suddenly... (I Miss Carpaty)" a high-voltage tune, where the band continually starts and stops on a dime.

The final side of the second record starts to spin with, "Your Country" is a neat song full of variety in changes, even featuring a neat synthesizer moment in the mid-section; this song really surprises you at every turn; it's kind of weird even, but incredibly fun and makes its mark as a unique number on the album. "American Wedding" sees the band launch into another gypsy-punk party, complete with another undeniably catchy chorus, and once again backed by the fantastic brass work of Slavic Soul Party.  The final closing song of the album, "Super Taranta!" features a brief return to the melody introduction from, "Supertheory of Supereverything" before launching into a world of its own full of rolling tribal-like percussion, and a highly danceable Balkan-like melody. The melody continues to build momentum, and the percussion continues to rumble with intensity layered by delayed guitar; the fiddle scrubbing away at the melody more, before rebuilding that intensity back up again. Finally exploding into a full blast of punk fury and dramatically ringing out, and then yet again fooling us and building us up yet once more; with those Balkan melodies still jittering above the surface before finally letting go.

For a band that single-handedly coined the term, "gypsy-punk"; who have mastered their unique fusion of these styles, and practically responsible for its creation altogether. Gogol Bordello really made an incredible album this go around, filled with rich melodies; ripe with hooks and strong choruses. It's an album that's loaded with fun, flare, and energy. It's put them on a fast-track to where they are today with the records that followed, "Trans-Continental Hustle" and most recently with, "Pura Vida Conspiracy" and proved them a force to be reckoned with.