★★★★★
Punk's always been something of an us vs. them proposition: you're either the one getting sneered at, or the one doing the sneering. Even when their music's faltered, self-styled gypsy punks Gogol Bordello have always found a way to make punk's tricky division problems work in their favor: when it's borders-- and the people who keep them in place-- that separate us, that "us" gets to be quite a crew...
- pitchfork.com
2013-08-15
★★★★★
As 2013 sees violent protests tear through the complex fabric of corruption from continent to continent, it's thrillingly appropriate to be hit with the exhilarating, barricade-storming opener of Gogol Bordello's newest album, fittingly titled "We Rise Again." What Ukrainian firebrand Eugene Hutz lacks in vocal prowess, he again decisively makes up for in fervor and philosophical certitude...
- filtermagazine.com
2013-08-13
★★★★★
Since his arrival on American shores in 1993, Ukrainian singer Eugene Hütz has been cranking out explosive albums with his band Gogol Bordello that crossbreed musical traditions from all over the globe, while growing a maniacally devoted fanbase through live shows that marry sweat-and-blood punk with cabaret-style costumes and atavistic dance breakdowns...
- www.slantmagazine.com
2013-08-08
★★★★★
Gogol Bordello: Pura Vida Conspiracy (ATO) Although half the old band are gone, the first two songs resume their crusade with undiminished bravado and a new melodicism that never quits. "Dig Deep Enough," Eugene Hutz half implores and half commands. Why should we, old-timer? Because "We Rise Again." Just as powerfully, the next two dabble in both lyricism and the nostalgia Hutz has mocked so adamantly...
- social.entertainment.msn.com
2013-09-08
★★★★★
Well shucks, Gogol Bordello has done it again: Pura Vida Conspiracy, the gypsy troupe's sixth studio album, is one more contagious collection of anthemic songs about lost love, freedom, oppression, and death. To date, they've strived to form a connection between cultures either through their ethnic roots or foreign dialect, but now there's a softer side to Bordello, one that bypasses face-palming facts and ruminates on life's brevity and the importance of change...
- consequenceofsound.net
2013-07-27
★★★★★
In some countries, the phrase "pura vida" is Spanish slang that functions similarly to "aloha" and the shaka sign in Hawaiian culture--both greeting and goodbye--but with the added usage of conveying contentment. That laid-back sentiment doesn't really vibe with the thunderous train that is Eugene Hütz and Gogol Bordello. That's where the conspiracy comes in on the group's sixth album, Pura Vida Conspiracy...
- www.avclub.com
2013-07-23
★★★★★
Gypsy punk mayhem-maker Gogol Bordello has built a following through indefatigable touring since 1999, when Ugene Hütz, a political refugee from the Ukraine, founded the group. Fans won't find anything unexpected on "Pura Vida Conspiracy," their sixth studio album. The fusion of Balkan/Gypsy music with loud punk and Latin balladry does not sound as fresh as it did on "Super Taranta!" (2007) or even on the Rick Rubin-produced "Trans-Continental Hustle" (2010). But it doesn't sound tired either...
- www.bostonglobe.com
2013-08-02
★★★★★
Gogol Bordello have been together as a band for nearly 15 years now, and true to their gypsy lifestyle, they've been touring nonstop almost that entire time. However, even people with the most affecting case of wanderlust begin to reexamine their choices after a while, even if only to remind themselves of why they do what they do in the first place...
- www.pastemagazine.com
2013-07-24
★★★★★
"Borders are the scars on face of the planet," Ukrainian-born singer Eugene Hütz exclaims on his band's sixth album. That's been Gogol's philosophy for a decade, as they've mixed gypsy folk, punk rock and other global-pop strains with all-inclusive rabble-rousing politics. There's a Spanish rap on "We Rise Again," while "Dig Deep Enough" sets Russian fiddles and distorted guitars against a reggae pulse...
- www.rollingstone.com
2013-07-23
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