"Gypsy punk" is what they call this. And it seems like a tremendous amount of fun. Eastern European/Russian folk traditional base, with polka rhythms, lots of violin and accordion. Mix this with some punk swagger, blast it through a PA and get it produced by the guy who did Danzig and all of a sudden the Americans sit up and take notice.You'll draw comparisons to another European-folk based act, DeVotchKa. I may side of Team DeVotchKa because of their darker mood, but I also feel like their music is more direct influence stylistic choice than Gogol, who often feels more kitschy, like a fun gimmick. Like The Darkness instead of Sword. I'm aware of my inherent contradiction, as DeVotchKa is made up of Americans and Gogol is made up of straight-up Russian implants. But still, listening to a whole Gogol album and I keep waiting to find out that Eugene Hutz is actually being played by Sacha Baron Cohen.
Eugene is the party leader here. And while you don't need the video to make this distinction, it's easy to see that his presence is a heartwarming and fun as Borat's native cultural dance on the streets of American ghettos. Even when singing about revolution and loss of country in his broken English, the triumphant will of the human spirit comes forth and you'll find yourself dancing arm in arm with your neighbor. It will make for a great live setting, even if it doesn't lend itself to multiple listens in your headphones. (3 of 5 stars)
No comments:
Post a Comment