John D. Benninghouse wrote this review.
Long before Gogol Bordello assaulted New Yorkers with their high octane blend of Gypsy and punk, The Ukrainians were on the other side of the ocean leading the unruly child of rock’n’roll into a shotgun wedding with Ukrainian folk music. Twenty years after guitarist Peter Solowka dragged violinist and singer Len Liggins into John Peel’s studio for what was to be a one-off, Diaspora has hit store shelves. It is the band’s sixth studio album of new material and the first to appear since 2002’s Respublika. It was well worth the wait. Noticeably absent are covers of Sex Pistols or Smiths tunes, the likes of which appeal to the listener’s love of novelty and take away from the band’s excellent originals, several of which are found here.
Diaspora‘s title also serves as the album’s theme. The listener is greeted by a plethora of songs about leaving the land of one’s birth (e.g., “Diaspora,” “Exodus”) and pining to return while wallowing in nostalgia all the while (“The Prisoner Waltz”). There’s even one song, “Dodomu,” about that fateful return. The album has a Janus-like feel to it with the songs that lean most heavily on punk concentrated on the first half while the second is generally more contemplative, indulging more in the aforementioned nostalgia.
The title track kicks things off with a bouncy accordion melody anchored to a firm beat. But starting with the follow-up, “Refugees,” the playing takes a turn towards the hectic. Once the drummer, known only as Woody, makes his presence known, it’s off to the races, daring the rest of the band to follow him. Luckily accordion, violin, and mandolin are up to the challenge as they prove in “Exodus” and “How Many Revolutions?” the latter threatening to go off the rails at any moment.
About halfway through the proceedings comes “The Prisoner Waltz,” which is an old song by the Ukrainska Selska Orchestra that slows things down and gives Woody a chance to relax. Accordion dominates here with a lilting melody accented by violin. “Marusya Bohuslavka,” which follows, drops in an unexpected droning electric guitar that sounds like it was included by accident before moving on to more familiar territory. “Little Waves” is an a cappella interlude, while “Merchants,” a paean to the Ukrainian merchants known as Chumaks who traded in far-off lands, sees a break from rapid-fire mandolin lines towards something heavier, something a bit plodding with the tom-toms getting a workout and some husky backing vocals provided by what sounds like a chorus of Cossacks afflicted with melancholia.
Diaspora is one of the best albums of 2009 so safely stow the matryoshka dolls, bust out the vodka and play it loud!
(Omnium, 2009)
