Gogol Bordello – Solidaritine
Release Date: 16th September 2021
Label: Casa Gogol/Cooking Vinyl
Bandcamp
Genre: Punk, Folk Punk.
FFO: Fanfare Ciocarlia, Kultur Shock, Flogging Molly.
Review By: Hillary Wisniewski
Gogol Bordello is back in action with their eighth full-length album, Solidaritine. For those not familiar, this group of “Gypsy Punks” has been bringing their blend of international punk to the masses since 1999. Since that time there have been changes in the line-up with the exception of singer and guitar player Eugene Hütz and violinist Sergey Ryabtsev. Members hail from all over the globe and bring influences from the traditional sounds of their native countries including Ukraine, Russia, and Ecuador. One thing is for certain-this band is tough as nails; their collective experience of immigrating and knowing that struggle brings a unique perspective to their work. According to Hütz, “Our music was always about perseverance…Rock ‘n’ roll comes out of a real place. Take a group of people who have endured immigrant traumas and dislocation. They create music, get successful together, become more baroque and experimental, and experience some years of relative calm. All of a sudden, humankind encounters these problems like the pandemic and the war. This is when rock ‘n’ roll is the most necessary and where we perform the best.”Solidaritine certainly brings all of the best aspects of Gogol Bordello to the table.
One of the things I have always appreciated about this group is their ability to seamlessly blend together a variety of styles in such a cohesive manner; they are masters of their craft in this regard. In just one track, a listener will hear traditional Eastern European sounds, percussion with a Latin flair, a bit of dub, and the raw energy of punk rock. Hütz is a poetic writer and storyteller extraordinaire. Of Solidaritine he says the music is “…of survival and perseverance” and “We just want to give the world a timeless album with messages of human potential and power.” Punk has always been about these themes; it pushes us to challenge societal expectations and to fight against oppression in all forms. Solidaritine definitely gets the band back to more of their punk roots, which, quite honestly, is refreshing. Many of the tracks have the raw energy and power that fans of the genre want to hear. A personal favourite of mine is the track Forces of Victory; guitars and violin are played with such a furry I can imagine if fingers weren’t calloused they would bleed. To my surprise, there was a fantastic cover of Blueprint by Fugazi; I almost leapt for joy when it started to play. Every song on this album is so damn good and the variety of sound and tempo keeps it interesting and engaging. I have zero complaints.
Solidaritine is an excellent addition to Gogol Bordello’s catalogue of music. It showcases the absolute best of Hütz and company. They are a fantastic live show, and these songs are going to make for a phenomenal experience when they are played in front of a crowd. During this time of negativity and uncertainty, we all could use a bit of punk rock to see us through; Gogol Bordello will carry the torch and light the way.
(5 / 5)
