Gogol Bordello - Trans-Continental Hustle

Eugene Hutz and his band of merry men and women return with this Rick Rubin produced, Brazilian influenced collection of gypsy-punk anthems. Pala Tute sets the agenda successfully as album entryway, led with suitably unhinged charisma by Hutz. His voice does have its limitations though, obvious with the well-intentioned but strained Sun Is On My Side.

He sinks into a glottal mire of unintended consonants when attempting to deliver anything quieter than cacophony, like trying to work a pottery wheel while wearing boxing gloves. Thankfully, for the most part the album doesn’t aspire towards subtlety, allowing them the freedom to infuse Spanish flamenco figures with punk, ska and metal on tracks like In The Meantime In Pernambuco and Immigraniada. Keeping the energy levels high so consistently does result in a lack of variety, but there are enough standout tracks here to make it well worth the work. [Oisin Kealy]