SOUNDTRACK: DROPKICK MURPHYS-The Meanest of Times (2007).
Ever since The Pogues, traditional Irish music has been matched to a punkish attitude. The Dropkick Murphys take this one step further in that they are pretty much a hardcore band, and yet they throw in heaps of Irish attitude, channeled through growing up in Boston, Ma. I got their first album when it came out because I was living in Boston at the time. Then I more or less forgot about them. But The Meanest of Times made some noise, so I checked them out again. Despite their ever changing lineup, the band hasn’t changed that much in all these years. They still write great, fast, beer-swilling sing-alongs. Their vocalist sounds like the gruff, ass-kicking younger brother of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ Dicky Barrett. There’s a second vocalist on this record too who is less gruff, but, I feel, less effective. He sings one or two songs, but he’s primarily background in nature. And they still throw in the occasional bagpipe, accordion and mandolin. They have diversified their sound a little bit now. There are a few slower (but no less raucous) songs and even a ballad.
Lyrically, they touch on a lot of “political” issues. Not as in day-to-day politics, but more as in a general outrage at injustice (priest sex scandals, children’s services in the state of Ma, violence and war etc). They also reinvent some traditional style songs. “(F)Lanigan’s Ball,” a remake sort of of “Lanigan’s Ball” and old trad song. And “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye” is an update of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” done as more of a sea shanty–a punk sea shanty.
I’m not sure why hardcore punk matches so well with traditional Irish jigs, but it really does. If you like your music fast and loud, The Dropkick Murphys throw in a few extra ingredients to diversify your portfolio.
[READ: May 28, 2008] Diary of a Wimpy Kid & Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.
A lot of kids come into the library looking for these books. When I finally looked at it, it looked pretty funny, so I picked it up. I’m going to review the two books together because the second one is basically a continuation of the first one, there’s not a lot of differences, but, since the books are pretty short, that’s not a problem. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 