The Skinny: Gogol Bordello is a gypsy punk band from the Lower East Side of New York City. Most of the group’s members are immigrants (or children of immigrants) from Eastern Europe, which influences their unique sound. Gogol Bordello formed in 1999 and has since released four albums with Rubric Records, Gypsy Punks: Underdog World is their first release from SideOneDummy Records. The band consists of Eugene Hutz (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Fire Bucket), Sergey Ryabtzev (Violin, Backing Vocals), Yuri Lemeshev (Accordion, Backing Vocals), Oren Kaplan (Guitar, Backing Vocals), Karl Alvarez (Bass) Eliot Ferguson (Drums, Backing Vocals), Pamela Jintana Racine (Percussion, Backing Vocals, Dance, General Performance), and Elizabeth Sun (Percussion, Backing Vocals, Dance, General Performance). Their music is inspired by the writings of Nikolai Gogol (the band’s namesake) and Eugene Hutz on NPR acknowledged Jimi Hendrix and Parliament-Funkadelic as musical influences.

The Rating:     What does this mean?

Why: The energy. Plain and simple. Gogol Bordello grabs a listener’s attention with a unique sound but then overwhelms them with high energy music that makes the soul desire to hop around a fire next to a gypsy carriage on an autumn night in the Ukraine. The high energy as mentioned carries the album (and their sound captivates the imagination as to the electricity that would be generated by a live show) the album slows down with songs such as “Immigrant Punk”, “Avenue B”, “Oh No”, “Start Wearing Purple”, “Illumination”, and “Indestructible” but there remains a great grounded energy that begs to be listened to. In fact if you are the type to hang on to one track and not let go until you feel as you have completely embraced each note; you will find it hard to let go of “Avenue B” and “Start Wearing Purple”.

However, with the high energy pinnacle that is “Not a Crime” the music soars. The lyrical refrain of “In the old time, it was not a crime” never mentions the action that was not a crime but allows the song to act as an anthem of injustice for any law one could view as oppressive or stifling. Overall the album is a break from what is common place in the area's punk, pop punk, or rock in general because Gogol Bordello has carved out a niche sound that can be embraced by those outside the niche if only the listener is willing to open their ears and their minds.

Not know them? Thier CD will fit in with: Honestly Gogol Bordello sounds like almost nothing else on the musical landscape. The closest place Gogol comes to “fitting in” would be next to your Flogging Molly albums. While not actually having the same sound as Molly, the easiest way to explain the Gogol Bordello sound is say “imagine Flogging Molly minus out the Celtic influence and replace with an Eastern European Gypsy influence.