New Gogol Bordello!

Gogol Bordello release a new album, Super Taranta!, next month. There are no great departures - it largely follows the formula of their breakthrough Gypsy Punks (Underdog World Strike) in combining traditional Eastern European instrumentation with rabble-rousing internationalist lyrics and elements of dub, rock and hip-hop. Cynical listeners may still be able to argue that they are little more than an English-language version of Leningrad or Zdob Si Dub but they remain one of the most effervescent and exciting groups in the world, as well as one of the most endearing. Their political messages have tended to be fairly broad in the past, dealing with few of the specific issues faced by Eugene Hutz' country of birth, Ukraine, or its neighbours. The excellent Zina-Marina marks something of a shift in that respect, although depth is substituted for a stirring chorus.

Gogol Bordello - Zina-Marina