Sometimes, you listen to some music that just makes you go “what the hell?” That’s what we’ve got here. Seriously, I’m not exaggerating. Give anything by Gogol Bordello a listen, and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Now, whether you like it or not is going to be completely up to your musical taste. If you lean towards faster, harsher music, this strange take on punk rock could be right down your alley.
Personally, I kind of love this record. It’s loud, angry, and undeniably Eastern European. Eugene Hütz, umlaut and all, has a crazy-awesome Ukrainian accent that makes 90% of his broken English lyrics incomprehensible. Honestly, that doesn’t matter all that much. His loose shout of “punk” or “party” every now and then keeps you well informed regarding the content of his lyrics.
I finally got around to checking this band out for one reason: their live shows. Personally, I’ve never seen them live. Everyone tells me that they’re crazy, though. Well, everyone except for my father, who remembers their 2008 set at Lollapalooza to this day—he’s not a fan. I understand that, though. Unless you’re in the thick of it at punk shows, you’re likely to have a pretty bad time. Watching YouTube footage from Titus Andronicus’ recent set at Lolla—one of my favorites this year—the band sounds pretty bad. I was in the pit with the American flag-toting hipsters, though, and I had a blast. Often, these types of shows are more about the crowd than the actual music, and that’s fine by me. Nothing beats an awesome crowd at an awesome concert.
Swole Ear 
Eugene Hütz is hilarious in Everything Is Illuminated (previously referred to in reference to Dale Earnheardt Junior Junior). You may find the other bands that are on the film soundtrack also to your liking.
Maybe I should watch that movie because I tried to read the book and couldn’t get through it. I saw that show at Lollapalooza that SE references and it did nothing for me, but they were on the huge south stage in bright daylight and I’m never a big fan of the daytime shows on that stage. Eugene wouldn’t have to do much acting to play the part I’m sure he played.
No doubt the role that Eugene was born to play. My sister and son both ended up loving the book but found it very heavy slogging until they got the hang of the parallel narratives and narrators. (Confession: I have not read it yet). The film is much more straightforward.