The Gulag Orkestar has received many rave reviews; just check out how many lists it’s on to get a good idea. And it’s not like it doesn’t deserve it: the music’s beautifully arranged and performed, and it shows the power of multi-tracked recording (one guy recorded the whole album himself). But I think it’s a little over-praised. Overall, the music’s too maudlin, and there’s something a little hollow about the whole thing: a technically brilliant performance but lacking in soul. The Gulag Orkestar is good but not great, and worth a listen. I recommend it more wholeheartedly than I enjoyed it.

I bought this on the basis of hearing the track ‘Postcards From Italy’ on RRR-FM. So far it’s still the real standout track for me and I’m finding it hard to love the rest of the album quite as much.