Kicking straight off into “Did It All”, Gogol Bordello‘s new album Seekers and Finders prove that these gypsy punks are still a force to be reckoned with.
From the first time that Sergey Ryabtsev strokes the strings of his violin, you straight away know who you are listening to and will finding yourself tapping your foot whether you want to or not. With a combination of up-beat (“Break Into Your Higher Self”) and more heartfelt tracks (“Walking On a Burning Coal”), you will find yourself moving along to the beat of each and every track. You can hear the different influences that this 9-piece have, feeling the latin vibe in “Clearvojance” to the American/European influences in “You Know Who We Are”. Not only are Gogol Bordello bringing their signature sound to this album but you can hear all the influences of each country they have visited as well as each producer they have worked with. With Eugene Hütz behind the wheel of this album, it brings the audience back to the raw, gritty days of 1999 when the band were starting out and you can tell that they have gone back to their roots, are continuing to be true to themselves and their style and, as the album progresses, you can hear that every single member of this 9-piece has put their heart and soul into their music and the creation of this album.
Right in the middle of the album is “If I Ever Get Home Before Dark” which shows a more emotional side of Gogol Bordello which just re-enforces the diversity that this band has.
The title track of the album brings you the dulcet tones of the gorgeous Regina Spektor. Pairing this with the gravelly warmth that is Eugene’s voice, this is an amazing duet and a beautiful track. Although this song has some semblance of a love song, it doesn’t fit into the ‘ballad’ box which you feel it’s going to when the track starts out and, as hoped, there is the unique twist that only Gogol Bordello have.
“Still That Way” is a fitting anthem to the end of the 7th album from this brilliant band. Clearly drawing on influences from Irish folk music, not only will this be an amazing closing song to any of their sets but you can see people singing this as a big group ending a raucous evening as each listener can relate to this in one way or another regardless of their background.
It’s safe to say that this is a more intimate and revealing album from Gogol Bordello and the fact that Eugue is in the producers chair for this album, shows that they don’t want to let go of who they are which is an amazing thing for their fans both new and old. You can’t help but dance or sway along to every single track. It’s safe to say that Gogol Bordello show no signs of slowing down!
