Gogol Bordello: Trans-Continental Hustle

Released 27 April 2010 Trans-Continental Hustle is the fifth studio album from Gogol Bordello. It marks the band's first major label release (Columbia Records) since they formed in 1999. The band are famed for their trademark 'Gypsy Punk' style and feature a tremendously wide range of cultural influences. The bands sound is rooted in eastern european folk music but the band features musicians from all over the world (Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Scotland and the USA in the current lineup). This has resulted in a very distinctive feel to the music produced and the presentation of live shows.

I became aware of Gogol Bordello through the 'Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike' album (or 'Gypsy Punks' to those who can only read large letters), a tremendously exciting and somewhat anarchic album clearly designed to make you dance. The fact that some of the lyrics flirt with various languages is no obstacle, it simply served to draw the attention of the english speaking audience members straight to the music which, aside from drawing influence from the wide-ranging ethnic backgrounds of the band, cover so many different styles that I have been medically forbidden from attempting to name them all for fear of sustaining a finger injury.

The 2007 follow up, 'Super Taranta!' was more of the same but unfortunately the novelty had begun to wear a little thin for many listeners. There was a real feeling of something missing with the album. That was until I caught a live show. I was lucky enough to catch the band in a relatively small venue while they toured Super Taranta and as they worked their way through the songs I had dismissed so readily from the album it all began to make sense. As great as this album was for parties, without the band leaping around an overcrowded stage and throwing themselves recklessly into the audience (and headbutting me in the face in the process......Eugene....) it is just a little......incomplete.

I was unsure what to expect when I heard the announcement of the new album but hearing Rick Rubin and Columbia had got their grubby mits all over it I simply had to hear what mainstream success had done for the band. And the answer.....not an awful lot. It's clearly the same Gogol but there is a definite reduction in the anarchy previous albums contained. Don't get me wrong, Hutz still strums that guitar like a lunatic and the fiddles still zip through the songs like flies but it just seems, overall, toned down.

In some respects this serves to remove the sensation of listening to a gig from the next room and the songs are 'good', but 'good' isn't really enough when a band has previously produced stunning albums like 'Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike'. Highlights on this record include the very chilled out 'Sun Is On My Side' which will be a perfect song to add to your summer playlist and 'Immigraniada (We Comin' Rougher)' which is simply insanely catchy and comes close to the punk frenzy of previous recordings.

My personal recommendation would be to either get hold of older material which is arguably far superior, or check out their recent live DVD which will contextualise the band's style. Or even better, since they tour almost endlessly catch them at a gig......just make sure it's a small one, or they might end up on stage with Madonna again.....and we shall pretend THAT never happened.

LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening

Released 17 May 2010 (UK) and 18 May 2010 (US), This Is Happening is the third studio album released by Punk/Electronica outfit: LCD Soundsystem. It has also been suggested that this will be the band's final release. 

I have to admit, I wasn't overly familiar with LCD Soundsystem until hearing the Sound of Silver album courtesy of a friend. Aside from this the only real memory I have of them is hearing 'Daft Punk is Playing at My House' on MTV2 at some ungodly hour of the morning as a child. Although it would appear I have missed the building of legends.

From their conception in the early 2000's (or arguably earlier than that in the brain of mastermind James Murphy) they have very quickly gone from an underground band with a significant cult following, to a successful mainstream act with several prestigious music awards under their belt as well as a pretty consistent record of critical acclaim.

It has been two years since the last album (Sound of Silver in 2008) and fans have been waiting with anticipation. It is clear that a lot of love went into the writing and recording process, understandable amidst all the rumours of an imminent split. Murphy has even gone on record practically begging people who managed to get an early leaked copy not to release it: "If you got a copy of the record early and you feel like sharing it with the rest of the world, then please don't ... We spent two years making this record and we want to put it out when we want to put it out. I don't care about money – after it comes out, give it to whoever you want for free but until then, keep it to yourself."

I hate to use the term 'fans of the genre' in a review but, previous LCD Soundsystem albums have required a certain penchant for electronica to get the most out them. There have always been tracks which are easily accessible to a mainstream audience, the aforementioned 'Daft Punk is Playing at My House' being a prime example. However some of the more (for want of a better word) 'hardcore' electronica pieces can be difficult for the casual listener. Fortunately, 'casual' listeners aren't what makes up the majority of their fan base.

'This is Happening' offers an eclectic cross section of influences, all layed out delicately over the backdrop of electronica. From the obvious punk influences of 'Drunk Girls' to the atmospheric drone of 'Somebody's Calling Me', the poetic and sometimes tongue-in-cheek lyrics are simply the icing on an already delicious cake.....probably a gateaux, or a massive cheesecake.....BRB...

On the whole 'This is Happening' is a lot more accessible (although not exactly radio friendly, most tracks on the album ranging from 7-9 minutes), without sacrificing the commendable musicianship and poetic lyrics of the previous productions. It's difficult to find much to criticise in an album which has clearly had such a significant amount of time and work put into it, not to mention the obvious talent that drives the whole project. Were this the final LCD album then it would be a triumphant finale, if not then it will be exciting to see where Murphy takes us next.

Mourning Doug Fieger

Since the inception of the singles charts in the middle of the 20th Century (1940 in America and 1952 in the UK) the world has had the one-hit wonder. These usually disposable nuggets of musical history normally fade away as quickly as they appear. Once in a blue moon, however, one refuses to go down without a fight, and even more rarely one will survive for decades beyond it's seemingly more successful contemporaries.

Come as They Were

It is often said that history repeats itself and the history of modern music is no exception. The 21st century has so far seen revivals of the classic rock of the 60's and 70's, jazz, blues, soul, folk and punk to name but a few.

Recently there has been a resurrected interest in the metal scene of around 20 years ago. Bands like The Darkness and Steel Panther with their screaming lead guitars and wailing falsetto voices singing of conquests and debauchery, regaling the audience with stories of lives dreamed of by many but lived by few.

At the end of the 80's the disenfranchised youths of Seattle developed into a somewhat inbred subculture and, armed with little more than budget guitars and bucket-loads of angst, began to wage war on popular music. With Sub-Pop records being their base of operations bands such as Mudhoney, Soundgarden and, of course, Nirvana soon began to gain popularity (thanks, I might add, to the support of the British musical press) and the characteristic 'seattle sound' began to spread like the plague.

It wasn't long before the kids of the world turned to this new phenomena and Grunge was accepted into the global scene. Here was music they could play themselves, artists who perfectly expressed how they were feeling and in a way they could relate to. The Grunge movement was born and it wasn't long before seemingly everyone had that naked baby in their music collection.

In the years since it's conception grunge has continued to be a marked influence on alternative music in one way or another. Be it explicitly in the sounds created or less obviously in the processes, fashions or attitudes of artists. It is difficult to imagine what the musical landscape would have been like without grunge (and of course it's similarly anti-conventional predecessors).

It seems that a Grunge revival is almost inevitable in the current climate. Music has once again become a relatively exclusive club, young people are as angry as ever, fashion and celebrity have continued to homogenise our society and of course, the older generations would hate it.

Over recent years we have seen reunions from some of Grunge's titans. Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots and Smashing Pumpkins have all either produced new albums or are working on new material while Soundgarden have announced they will be reforming. Some bands, such as Mudhoney and Pearl Jam never really went away in the first place.

Perhaps this renewed dominance of the archetypal Seattle bands will be the spark that is needed, or maybe the apathy of the young will be all that is required, whichever route we take I believe we haven't heard the last of the big G....

.....and I, for one, am glad.