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Like all Gogol Bordello albums, Trans-Continental Hustle is instantly enjoyable, but even more lyrical and musical layers emerge on repeat listens that show you just how smart and (simple) Gogol Bordello can be.
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"Last One Goes the Hope" buoys the middle third atop the bar, placeholder for acousti-punk tango "In the Meantime in Pernambuco," new greatest gauntlet. Penultimate "Break the Spell" doesn't.
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Though Hutz might be out of whack, this album is surely no loser.
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With the help of heavyweight producer Rick Rubin, Gogol Bordello's major-label debut, "Trans-Continental Hustle," maintains the band's ethno-clash dance party reputation, but with less punk attitude and a more mainstream songwriting approach.
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Q MagazineThere's a human message: No matter where you are, the party's what you make of it. [Jul 2010, p.124]
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Over 13 tracks Transcontinental Hustle casts its spells, a record that fairly howls at the moon.
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Rick Rubin has shaped their songs, smoothing down some of their rougher edges, but the end result is as rich and diverse as ever, helping them fulfill their musical mission with more focus, yet without compromising their eccentricity or their trusted formula.
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It's no Super Taranta!, but Hutz's minor-key odes to erotic revolution and cosmic evolution still pack a heady, sweaty punch.
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For all the lyrical skepticism in these songs, the music is too damned exuberant to worry too much. If anything, the relentless tempos and sheer energy of the band might wear you out before you get to the end of the hour-long record.
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Hutz has said that Rubin encouraged him to focus on his songwriting as opposed to the band's frantic live show, and "Hustle" bears out that claim with catchier melodies and more slogan-ready lyrics.
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Results are mixed--"Sun Is on My Side" offers lovely accordion and a weary, haunting refrain, but the midtempo "Uma Menina Uma Cigana" feels flat and perfunctory, while the lugubriousness of "When Universes Collide" actually undermines Hutz's harrowing, poverty-tinged lyrics.
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There's plenty good here, that's undeniable, but the album lacks the spark to push it forward and place it at the top.
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Everyone is on point: Accordion and fiddle rock as hard as guitars and drums; rhythms from Brazil (frontman Eugene Hutz's new home) blend with breakneck Eastern European dances and D.C.-style hardcore.
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While Hustle isn't a breakthrough on par with If I Should Fall From Grace With God, it's certainly one step closer.
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Plain and simple, Trans-Continental Hustle is a decent album that seems to rest on the band's multi-national roots and Hutz's Balkan growling to accomplish its goal. And while it's certainly an engaging and inspired exercise, the disc grows awfully weary after about a half-dozen songs.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 10 out of 11
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Mixed: 0 out of 11
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Negative: 1 out of 11
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Aug 10, 2013
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Dec 23, 2011
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Jan 1, 2011