ATO/Casa Gogol

When Gogol Bordello broke through with the stomping “Start Wearing Purple,” it was a stop-in-your-tracks moment. Each of the band’s hallmarks echoed another time: Eugene Hütz’ Ukrainian-accented growl, the creeping accordion and thumping bassline and the sound of our grandparents’ Old Country through a crazed New York City filter. But by Pura Vida Conspiracy, Gogol’s sixth studio album, the Balkan-party shtick isn’t a surprise anymore; the band needs to rely on their songwriting. By that rubric, the album is mostly successful. The grooves come fast and heavy on the album’s first half, from the rolling, chant-along “We Rise Again” to “Dig Deep Enough” – an arms-to-heaven anthem that’ll be a blast during the band’s legendarily wild live show. The album’s slower middle tracks “Amen” and “I Just Realized” are lovely, in an accordion-laden, sad-eyed, vodka-soaked way. But the back third drags, like a less-catchy mirror of the rousing openers. Pura Vida Conspiracy is another surefire party, but it won’t rope in any new gypsy followers.