[...music...]

2010-05-02

earlier this week, i got the new gogol bordello album "trans-continental hustle".

i was listening on repeat for a few days. it's good, but feels a bit flat. i mean, it sounds like a re-hash of their old material.

for example, my favourite track from the new album is "my companjera" [youtube]. it reminds me so much of "wonderlust king" [youtube] from the previous album.

also, on this new album, there is too much repetition, like the way he sings the same line more than a dozen times within the same song.

overall, on its own, it is a good album. but knowing they've done better before, i'd say this album is not amazing or anything.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, gogol bordello

gogol bordello + devotchka @ metropolis

ayoye, i've fallen behind on my blogging. this entry will be brief.

on april 18, i went to the gogol bordello show with roxanne and fil. devotchka was one of the openers. this was the line-up we'd been dreaming of. we got our tickets on the day they went on sale, more than two months before the show.

we got a spot in the front, right at the barrier. the first opener was jesse malin & the st. marks social. it was typical rock, with hints of folk/punk, i guess. they had a couple of catchy songs.

the next openers were devotchka. i'd been wanting to see them play ever since roxanne introduced their music to me, via a mix cd, some years ago. their live show was really good. the singer had an old-fashion microphone. for one of their songs, they had an aerial silk performer. so cool!

they played my favourite song "how it ends" so i was happy. i tried to steathily capture a video before the security dude stepped into my camera's field of view, ruining the shot as he gave me the bad eye...

devotchka setlist:
basso profundo
venus in furs
the clockwise witness
head honcho
i cried like a silly boy
vengo (manya)
we're leaving
how it ends
poland
international
the enemy guns

finally, gogol bordello were on stage. i managed to snap a few pictures before it got too crazy.

and oh my, it was pretty crazy. it was so packed. the whole time, there was someone on my back; in any other context, it would have been some form of sexual harrassment. for most of the time, i was thinking "i'm getting too old for this...". i spent more energy trying to push people off my back than trying to enjoy the music.

i only recognized the few songs from "underdog world strike", such as "not a crime" and "start wearing purple". i guess most of the set were songs from the new album.

there are some videos on youtube.

~~~

cd purchases: i got the devotchka albums that i was missing, "supermelodrama" and "una volta".

hearing damage: yeah, my ears were ringing. my arms and knees were also bruised from being constantly pushed against the metal barrier. ugh; i'm too old for this shit.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, devotchka, gogol bordello, jesse malin, metropolis, shows

2007-10-12

gogol bordello @ club soda

second show in a row at club soda. this time, i went with roxanne and laurel.

openers were dub trio. too macho/aggro for my taste. the set was excessively loud for nothing. a couple of passable post-rock-ish bits.

by the time gogol bordello came on stage, roxanne had already gotten beer spilled on her arm, and some big tall girl was yelling at everyone around her. these were signs of a rowdy crowd.

to be honest, their set was a bit of a blur to me. in between trying to enjoy the songs, i was mostly fending people off my back, while desperately grappling the front barrier, and feeling squished by sweaty bodies on all sides. yuck.

it had been a while since i had been at this type of "punk" show. (yeah, i know this wasn't a "real" punk show, but as an indie kid – attending shows where people watch with arms crossed, standing a foot apart – this was probably the closest to "punk" i'll ever get.)

i only recognised a few songs: "not a crime", "60 revolutions", "start wearing purple", and "think locally fuck globally" from the previous album; "wonderlust king", "zina marina", and "supertheory of supereverything" form the most recent. the singer talked a bit in between songs, but i could not hear a word he said, haha.

despite feeling like i had been in a fight, i still had a good time, cheering/yelling out loud, hoppping/dancing, letting loose, feeling energized, enjoying a lively and entertaining performance.

when i got home, i noticed some light bruising on my arms and knee. that's a first. and now, my shoulder area feels a bit sore.

~~~

cd purchase: i got gogol bordello's most recent "super taranta!", since i really like the song "wonderlust king".

hearing damage: dub trio's very loud set made my ears ring.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, club soda, dub trio, gogol bordello, shows

2006-09-20

gogol bordello, martha wainwright

i haven't made a cd purchase in almost one month. i feel so proud of myself. but i ended up passing by hmv today, and knocked two items off my wishlist.

gogol bordello - gypsy punks
the album title pretty much describes it all. it sounds like one huge party. it makes me wonder what their live shows are like...

martha wainwright - martha wainwright
the first time i heard about her was when i heard the song "bloody motherfucking asshole" on the radio, and i was amused by the song title and its lyrics. but i only became interested in her music after hearing her contribution to snow patrol's "set fire to the third bar", one of my current favourite songs. for this album, it took a few listens for me to get used to her voice.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, gogol bordello, martha wainwright