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Voltaire : To the Bottom of the Sea
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Gypsy punk, dark cabaret, sea shanties and Steampunk collide on the new CD by the original Gothic renaissance man and his skeletal orchestra of gyspy pirates
Genre: Rock: Acoustic
Release Date: 2008
To the Bottom of the Sea
Voltaire
Record Label: Mars Needs Music
  • Buy CD - $15.00
  • Download Album (MP3) - $9.99

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Preview Song Name Time Buy
1. The Industrial Revolution (And How It Ruined My Life) 5:09 + MP3 $0.99
2. Robber Baron 3:48 + MP3 $0.99
3. Stakes and Torches 3:47 + MP3 $0.99
4. Happy Birthday (My Olde Friend) 2:53 + MP3 $0.99
5. Coin Operated Goi 3:33 + MP3 $0.99
6. Accordion Player 3:37 + MP3 $0.99
7. This Sea 5:04 + MP3 $0.99
8. The Beast of Pirate's Bay 5:02 + MP3 $0.99
9. Tempest 3:41 + MP3 $0.99
10. This Ship's Going Down 4:47 + MP3 $0.99
11. To the Bottom of the Sea 3:50 + MP3 $0.99
12. Death Death (Devil, Devil, Evil, Evil Song) 4:59 + MP3 $0.99
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Album Notes

After 10 years of releasing CDs through Projekt Records, Voltaire embarks
on his first self-released studio album. And what a journey it is!
Somewhere between concept record and full-blown musical, \"To The Bottom of the Sea\" tells the tale of a gypsy tinker and his tumultuous journey from
his homeland in the mountains of Vorutania, to a watery grave at the ocean
depths.

Back are Voltaire\'s signature gypsy violins and celtic rhythms (provided by long-time mates Kitzis, Goeke and Sorino). But new to
the line-up is an accordion player, Franz Nicolay (World Inferno
Friendship Society, The Hold Steady, Guignol) that catapults each track
clean into the realm of gypsy punk (and piratey sea shanties on the second
half of the disc). Also guesting on this CD is a cadre of all-stars from the gypsy punk scene including Johnny Kalsi (Firewater, The Dhol Foundation) on percussion, Ruet Regev (Firewater) on trombone, and Luminescent Orchestrii string players Sarah Alden and Rima Fand. The result is a turn-of-the-century romp sure to delight pirates, Steampunks and gypsies.

The Story:
The CD opens up with a Billy Bragg-styled anthem in which our narrator
explains how the Industrial Revolution is responsible for the
homogenization of our culture. This kicks off a flash back to a
turn-of-the-century, Eastern block country called Vorutania where our
gypsy tinker and his mates revolt against the evil Robber Baron who
tyrannically lords over them. Hints and nods to Gogol Bordello are evident
as the peasants rise up and later celebrate drunkenly through the next few
tracks of unbridled debauchery. In a mid-CD highlight, Voltaire winks at his colleagues The Dresden Dolls with a hilarious parody of Coin Operated Boy titled Coin Operated Goi (sung in a Yiddish accent, no less!) But alas, like in any good debauched anarchy, the power
void leads to the inevitable war. This ushers in a coupling of somber
tracks where Voltaire\'s voice, in a more intimate setting, takes on a low,
smokey growl reminiscent of Leonard Cohen or Nick Cave. Our protagonist
tells his wife (sung by polish chanteuse, Julia Marcell) that he must seek his fortune at sea. This lush and lyrical duet gives way to the second half of the CD in which our anti-hero sets out to sea and bring us all along for the voyage. Along the way are sea shanties, a rousing belly-dancing track and some Tom Waits-inspired dirges and romps. The closing track is a classic Voltaire skewering of society in which our narrator, back in the present day, explains why all of his tales must end so morbidly.

Voltaire\'s myspace page has long described him as a \"Renaissance man with Gypsy pirate band\". That characterization has never been as true as it is on \"To The Bottom of the Sea\". His 6th release really delivers the goods.

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REVIEWS

Voltaire
author: MaryD
                            
Voltaire, you really outdid yourself with this one... Perfection, brilliance, and damn good fun all wrapped in one. The morbidness is absorbed in comedy, and i don't think that anyone besides you could really pull this off. Gogol Bordello aint got nuthin on him. Also, one of the sexiest voices I've ever heard. And if anyone bothers to check his videos,.. the man is a match. Ive listened to as many of his songs and videos as i could find, and i swear there's not one i don't love. Suffice to say its one of my life goals to meet him, and if he would get his sexy butt back to the west coast, i could!! :)
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at the bottom of the sea
author: Iona Rivera
                            
since i heard the songs on adventure quest worlds, it was awesome on it. i loved it. he's a great singer
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Extraordinary
author: Joseph A Nagy Jr
                            
Never before have I listened to an album that has taken me where this one does. Serious, funny and everything in between, To the Bottom of the Sea is a musical trip worth taking.
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Amazing CD!
author: HP
                            
To The Bottom of the Sea is a self-released concept album by the master of Goth humour, Voltaire. It comes packaged in a six panel digipack. When the cd kicks off, we meet our narrator (Voltaire) who tells us what the Industrial Revolution did to influence today's world. Then we jump back in time, and hear the story of a young man living in the country of Vorutania in the middle of the 19th century. Vorutania is ruled by force by the terrible Robber Baron, until the peasants revolt against him. The country is in ruins, without a leader it ends up in war. The war makes our hero leave his pregnant wife and go ashore, where he meets various sea beasts and eventually meets his fate. In the end, our narrator tells us why all stories must end in such a grim fashion. The songs on To The Bottom of the Sea vary from slower ballads to upbeat songs driven by violins and accordions. His parody of the infamous The Dresden Dolls' song "Coin-Operated Boy", called "Coin-Operated Goi" is one of the pearls of this cd. A must-have for every Voltaire-fan!
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