It didn’t take The Material Girl to turn us onto Gogol Bordello. These unabashed Gypsy punks head this week’s list of office spinners.
Gogol Bordello
Super Taranta! (Side One Dummy)
Release: July 10, 2007
Gypsy mania appears to be nearing a resounding crescendo, so what better time for a new album from these self-proclaimed Gypsy punks? Super Taranta! doesn’t mix quite as many rock elements with the group’s standard Balkan fare, but the craftsmanship is as tight as ever. Though Gogol Bordello has already come to musical prominence — performing at Live Earth with Madonna?!? — a national U.S. television audience will get a glimpse of the group and massively moustachioed frontman Eugene Hutz on “The Late Show with David Letterman” on August 1.
Gogol Bordello: “Not a Crime” (Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike)
V/A
Healing the Divide: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliation (Anti-)
Release: July 10, 2007
On September 23, 2003, the Dalai Lama spoke at Avery Fisher Hall in New York for a benefit concert that was both philanthropic and musically cool as hell. The night’s festivities, which were presented by compositional minimalist Philip Glass and actor Richard Gere, were captured in fine aural form. The disc is now available from Anti- and Gere’s Healing the Divide organization to help provide health insurance to exiled Tibetan monks and nuns, and features four killer collaborations between Tom Waits, Kronos Quartet, and bassist Greg Cohen. Performances by Glass, Anoushka Shankar, The Gyuto Tantric Choir, and more are included.
Eyvind Kang
Athlantis (Ipecac)
Release: July 10, 2007
Wildly prolific violinist Eyvind Kang takes another periodic step back from his countless guest appearances with Athlantis, his latest solo effort. On this, his second release through Ipecac, Kang crafts beautiful, sullen, mini-classical pieces that lay the foundation for a gorgeous choir. Extraordinary vocalists Mike Patton and Jessika Kenney make sonic cameos.
Smashing Pumpkins
Zeitgeist (Reprise)
Release: July 10, 2007
Billy Corgan’s antics with exclusivity via Target, Best Buy, and iTunes are shameful, which is a bummer because his big rock licks should be guilt-free treats. He and talented drummer Jimmy Chamberlain — the only real core of the group — are back with a disc that quells listeners’ appetites for radio-ready summer rock tunes.