GOGOL BORDELLO:

For this album, songwriter Eugene Hütz set out to blend post-punk textures and aggro to Gogol Bordello’s free-wheeling gypsy-punk. He chose to work with the production team of Nick Launay (Gang of Four, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Idles) and Adam “Atom” Greenspan (Nick Cave, Idles, Flogging Molly) to accomplish this goal. Together with his long running band, they knocked out twelve super punchy and hook-laden songs. The title track, “We Mean It, Man!” is all pile-driving punk intensity which crescendoes into no-wave sax skronk. “No Time For Idiots” is a Strummer/Jones-esque riff-punk with a giant chorus payoff. “Life Is Possible Again” voices an optimism against the dread of the Ukraine war. “Solidarity” features New Order’s Bernard Sumner on the Angelic Upstart’s Solidarość-punk anthem updated to address the Ukraine war effort. This is the album and political message the world needs now.