New Gondoliers – Art Cartel
Art Cartel by New Gondoliers is one of those rare albums where each moment feels like a scene from a bizarre film you didn’t realize you needed to see. It’s wild, funky, poetic, and full of unpolished beauty—a musical collage that combines folk, funk, rock, and punk before throwing it all through an avant-garde mixer. The album begins with a level of energy that surpasses expectation. With its cheerful accordion melodies and Americana guitar vibes, the title tune sounds like The Fall performing at a folk festival, with free vocal performance and a no-wave attitude. From the start, you know this band follows its own rules. Grooves reign supreme on the record. Tracks like Broken Record and Late rely on addictive basslines and groovy drum textures, frequently merging hip hop, funk, and Americana with a casual, party-like vibe. Scratching is even included into the album’s natural beat, rather than as a gimmick. These tunes do more than just move; they sway, work hard, and “dance” with personality. One of Art Cartel’s distinguishing features is its willingness to get odd in the greatest manner. There are moments of Zappa-inspired hedonism, particularly in Pop Came to Our Street, where jazzy bass and groovy guitars move beneath vocals that “scream” theatrical extravagance. Meanwhile, Who’s-a-Ridin’ and Lovers Par Excellence draw on blues and classic rock norms, but always with an attitude, whether it’s a Doors-inspired mood or a sweet male-female vocal interaction that expresses both passion and irony. Even when the record is more melancholic or self-critical, it maintains its energy. Tracks like “The City is Not My Friend” are melancholic thoughts on urban dissatisfaction covered in post-punk minimalism. Then, just when you think you’ve worked it out, you get a track like Zinedine Cezanne, which is as bizarre and fantastic as the title suggests, pushing into art-rock area with surreal confidence. New Gondoliers definitely have no interest in playing it safe, which is what makes Art Cartel so exciting. It’s rough and funky, sophisticated but casual, and chaotic but connected in its own unique logic. You can dance to it, analyze it, or simply become lost in its strange elegance.
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