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Richard Gehr has been writing about international music -- and many other things -- for more than two decades. After moving to Los Angeles from Portland, OR, vi...more »

02.10.09

Infectious and high-spirited punk/klezmer with a kick of jazz

2009 | Label: JDub Records / The Orchard

Golem transforms Old World nostalgia into infectious and high-spirited punk/klezmer — with a kick of jazz. Originals outweigh covers on the sextet's second album, which kicks off with the weird and colorful and comedic "Train Across Ukraine," setting an old Jewish traveler's third-class journey to a railroad rhythm. Singer/frontman Aaron Diskin explores his inner Borat in the jubilantly horny "Tucheses & Nenes" (Yiddish for "ass and tits"), then joins frontwoman Annette Ezekiel-Kogan for the heavy-breathing klezmer-meets-Bollywood number "Come to Me." Inspired by stories and mixtapes passed down by Bube and Zeidy (i.e., Grandma and Grandpa), Golem revives popular old East European material while reflecting on new problems of assimilation. Sometimes they play it straight, as in Ezekiel-Kogan's version of the Ukrainian wedding chestnut "Chervona Ruta." But they're not averse to parody, either (see Diskin's hysteria-tinged version of the Yugoslavian standard "Zingarella," in which a prisoner schools his faithless Gypsy girlfriend). And the title track's more like Schoolhouse Rock, with a proud new immigrant answering a litany of American citizenship questions like "What is the Fourth of July?" before submitting to six months of English as a Second Language. And even if Golem plays klezmer as a second musical language, they… read more »

Great, but a little patchy

If you want to try one whole Golem! album off e-music, get Fresh Off Boat, it's more consistent throughout. However, there are great songs on here - try Train Across Ukraine and Citizen Boris. They're not necessarily that representative, especially the title track, but they're bloody great songs!

Not the best, and a bad trend is occuring here

This band peaked with a release not available on emusic called Libeshmertzn-one of the absoulte best klezmer/rock/world releases in recent memory. Since then, the arrangements are too cute, and this record is far too cute to be listened to very often. It is just too boring, too schlocky. It pains me to say that-this band is one of my favourites, but it has been all downhill in recent years. I say-no more concept records, nothing more in english, and let my people go go go go.