Inventing, or at least mastering a genre must be tough for a band such as Gogol Bordello; ever since their debut album Voi-La Intruder detonated in 1999 like a convulsing hobo in the middle of a market square, the New York-based collective can't move for being trapped by the phrase 'gypsy-punks'. Gypsy-punk this, gypsy-punk that; God forbid that they should be released from the shackles of typecast and given free reign to actually expand their repertoire. It's a tag that they don't seem too bothered by, however, as over the past eight years, the Eastern European natives, led by the inimitable Eugene Hutz, have generated several albums' worth of modern rock music infused with the traditional Roma sound of their homeland(s), leading comedian Phill Jupitus to describe them as 'The Clash having a fight with The Pogues in Eastern Europe'. It's a description that's cannily accurate, although the eight-strong Gogol Bordello provide a more manic quality to their music than even Shane MacGowan on a good day could muster. Opening track Ultimate sets both the pace and the tone for the hour-long album; it's a fusion of nonsensical lyrics, heavily-accented vocals and robust, hearty music that sounds like it was recorded live, and in one take. Gogol Bordello are, above all other things, a fun band, and tracks like the superbly wacky Supertheory of Supereverything ("My brothers are protons⁄ My sisters are neurons") and Harem In Tuscany, with its fizzy, manic energy and can-can bounce, are testament to the band's failure to take themselves seriously. Other highlights include the traditional-leaning ode to drink Alcohol, and the calmer, almost reggae-flavoured Tribal Connection, which brings the pace down and allows the listener a much-needed moment to catch their breath. If there's one fault with Super Taranta!, and with Gogol Bordello in general, though, it's that their unrelenting energy and failure to depart from the gypsy-punk (gah!) path means that by track sixteen, the novelty has worn thin, and the lack of variety is somewhat tiresome. When a band is obviously having so much fun making music, however, it's hard not to like them.
