Gogol Bordello, Trans-Continental Hustle

Posted on 28th Apr 10 by Ciara O Brien | 0

Trans-Continental Hustle is the fifth release from worldly gypsy-rockers Gogol Bordello. As always they are fronted by the unruly, scruffy and oddly magnetic singer-songwriter Eugene Hutz. Hutz was born and raised in the Ukraine and, as such, the group have always had a sound which is hard to pin down as it drifts between continents. Hutz’s recent move to Brazil is evident throughout the album as there is a definite focus on Latin sounds in each track. This is a major departure from the group’s usual aural fusion. The result is usually a gourmet platter of worldly sounds. Unfortunately, in Trans-Continental Hustle, it becomes more Happy Meal than Haute Cuisine.

Gogol Bordello, Trans-Continental Hustle

The title track Trans-Continental Hustle is a prime example of this. Rather than sounding like an exploration of Latin rhythms and an exposition of cultural norms (something for which the group are  known and have been called ‘visionary’ for) the track is more like the kind of music you expect to hear on a package holiday in Tenerife with sun-burnt 50 year olds clapping and laughing. They have attempted to make the leap into the mainstream, but their method of doing so is just to increase the pace and fury of their music. It becomes more confusing than visionary.

The main issue with this album comes purely from their loss of this ‘visionary’ aspect they previously maintained. Their lyrics attempt to touch on cultural issues in a meaningful way but, ultimately, what we have is a string of slightly incoherent stereotypes. Franz Kafka is name-checked in Immigraniada (We Comin’ Rougher), this should be a moment of light and clarity in the song, but it becomes over-exposed by the statement “flushed down the beaurocratic drain.” This makes the song less of a metaphor, and more an angry rant. Something is lost in translation.

Throughout the album, their signifiers never seem to touch on their intended meaning. In When Universes Collide this mistranslation becomes almost cringe worthy.

I will hand it to them, their melodies are often ridiculously catchy, and nowhere is that more evident than in Pala Tute. In this track it becomes almost impossible not to get involved, even when you can’t make out the lyrics I defy you not to end up as I am now, in front of the computer singing something along the lines of “la la la la lala…something about a latté.”

The second track on the album, My Companjera, is a bright light in the middle of the confusion. It is neither overblown nor full of cliché and touches on a subtle fragility in Hutz which has been little seen before. If the rest of the album was like this one track, it would be the kind of album we would expect from visionaries.

Last One Goes the Hope also touches on these subtleties and is a much slower and less frantic track than the rest. In this track there are few cheesy metaphors and just a simple and evident disgust in Hutz at the current state of society. These two tracks are definitely worth a listen.

Don’t get me wrong, the album is certainly not the worst you are likely to hear. Gogol Bordello’s move to a major record label for this endeavour is certainly evident. The production values on each song have increased exponentially from their previous releases. But, for me, that’s the main problem. Their previous releases were charming and intimate.

In that way, they were certainly visionary, bringing their world into your home and creating the kind of music that is as catchy and fondly embarrassing as the drunken uncle dancing at a wedding. With the loss of that intimacy, Trans-Continental Hustle falls a bit flat for me. Your money would certainly be better spent on their older releases or on seeing them live.

Drop-d Rating: 4/10

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Tags: Eugene Hutz, Franz Kafka, Gogol Bordello, Last One Goes the Hope, My Companjera, Pala Tute, Trans-Continental Hustle, When Universes Collide