Search - Gogol Bordello :: East Infection

Pure joy, pure energy, i love this band!!!

Rachel | Indianapolis, IN United States | 09/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a fantastic EP. Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz has reached a maturity in his songwriting that is reflected in this EP and the recent album "Gypsy Punks." Lets review!



1) East Infection: Is that Natasha Fatale (from Rocky and Bullwinkle) I hear? What an opening with an incredible catching female vocal by Andra Ursuta, "lalala leeleelee . ." This song rocks.



2) Ave B: This song is catchy and I'm wondering why Hutz is always singing about Sally?





3)Mala Vida: This is one of my favorites on the CD, with a singsong accordion and driving drums it captures your ear.



4) Copycat: This song is more punk than gypsy and has a great bassline.



5) Strange Uncles From Abroad: Another favorite on the disc -- I love the lyrics and the driving beat. More lilting accordians and violins that make me spin in circles (I must dance! cannot stop myself!)



6) Madagascar-Roumania (Tu jesty fata) -- this song sneaks onto the disc -- you'll know what I mean when you hear it. Here the pace is reduced and a quiet guitar ballad singing the praises of punk rock and the perseverence of music to occur in our lives. What is great about this song is that it is tailed with a Roumanian folk song, sung by the same woman from song one, what a beautiful voice! So here is some pure "gypsy" music and it is beautiful.



I can't review the video on this cd because my cd drive is broken. I'll bet it is great -- I've seen them live and they put on a show for the eyes and the ears.



If you love Gogol Bordello, you might give the Dog Faced Hermans a try. They also have great energy -- and a great trumpet player, but no folk influence.

"

East, west, whatever's best

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 07/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Imagine a crazed gypsy violinist (like Peter Sellers on the Muppets?) lost in the middle of a punk-rock festival. By the time he staggers out, he's infected with the music.



That's about the sound of Gogol Bordello, who recently broke out with their latest album. Before that album, however, came the feisty EP "East Infection," with a rollicking string of infectious gypsy-folk-punk songs, raw singing and lots of explosive energy. This is a good kind of "infectious."



It kicks off with the jagged spunkiness of the title track, with Eugene Hutz shouting somewhat incoherently over the raw music.... right before the song slows down, to allow Andra Ursuta to coo "leeleeleeleelee... lalalalala!" over and over. Whhooooaaaaaaa....



They briefly veer into accordion folk, very nice and low-key... before launching into the fiddle avalanche of "Mala Vida" and the sinister dark punk of "Copycat." The EP gets rounded off with two more songs: a driving rock song, and a slower, softer bit of gypsy music. It's a nice way to end it.



Basically, "East Infection" is a good place to start off with Gogol Bordello -- it's got the traditional tunes and the punky music, and the band goes all the way from one extreme to the other. And at the end of the EP, if it's your kind of music, you'll be left desperately wanting more.



Eugene Hutz has the sort of raw, howling, lightning-quick voice that most punk-rockers would sacrifice a vocal chord to have. Except I suspect that it comes to him naturally. And whatever does he sing? "My strange uncles from abroad/yes I never met'em!/but I took everything they wrote/and I'll never forget 'em!"



And their actual music is just as weird as their lyrics. It's a big melting pot of instruments -- the fiddle, accordion, and some wickedly nimble basslines and riffs that make you want to leap up and dance. I think I even heard a xylophone somewhere in the mix.



Whether an introduction to Gogol Bordello, or just another of their high-octane creations, "East Infection" is thoroughly insane and utterly danceable."

East infection

J. D. Fleming | kansas city, edge of the great plain | 07/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i find it energtic if not manic, ethnic punk. world music eastern european traditionally instrumented flavor and a touch of conventional electric guitar/drum-set mixed with absurdity. an enjoyable charicature or spoof of itself. absolutely palatable, satiating any craving for outrageous lyrics spoken from our eastern comrades' perspective. possibly widening our own perspective, not brainwashing, brain blasting and aptly named "East Infection". it grows on you."