Gogol Bordello - Seekers and Finders
By my reckoning, Seekers And Finders is the tenth album from self-proclaimed Gypsy Punks Gogol Bordello. GB are best experienced live, a full-on, immersive whirlwind of boundless energy, fury, humour and showmanship that has to be seen to be believed.
Previous albums have tried to capture that live experience and have, for the most part, failed. As enjoyable as the likes of Super Taranta! have been, for me the listening experience has been too intense to listen to any album all the way through in one sitting.
This may be an attempt to address that. The - sometimes overbearing - energy has been turned down and the emphasis is on the songs. And this works. Walking On Burning Coals may just be the best thing GB have put on tape. The title track, featuring Regina Spektor, has a distinctly Fleetwood Mac feel to it - in a good way - and might just take GB from being a cult success to massive stadium fillers.
Initially, I missed the intensity of previous releases, exhausting as that could be, but enough intellectualising and analysing, I'll enjoy this for what it is: a great collection of songs by one of the best live bands in the world right now.
9/10
