The value of a producer on an album is debatable, but when Rick Rubin attaches himself to a rock album, controversy ensues. His last two major rock projects, Linkin Park’s “Minutes to Midnight” and Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” were critically panned. Gogol Bordello fans have little to worry about.
The fifth album from the self-proclaimed “gypsy punks,” “Trans-Continental Hustle,” is their most entertaining yet. The band’s fusion of eastern European folk elements with punk energy drives every song to become an exciting toe-tapping anthem. The accordion and violin especially add to the fervor and the scatting and ad-lib vocal techniques help the cause too.
Somewhat hidden beneath the “party-down” attitude that the music conveys are the semi-serious lyrics of vocalist Eugene Hutz. Hutz’s rough vocal approach and Ukrainian accent make the lyrics to tunes like “Pala Tute” and “Rebellious Love” sound more humorous than genuine. Despite the somber tone that “When Universes Collide” might purvey, the song is only a break from the rest of the album’s fast pace, not its buoyant attitude.
Whether listeners are looking for accompaniment for drinking or dancing, Gogol Bordello provides a unique way for them to do either with “Trans-Continental Hustle.”
