Recent Release: Dropkick Murphys - "Going Out In Style"

Here's a treat for your St. Patrick's Day listening enjoyment. My favorite Celtic punk rock band (there are a surprising amount), Dropkick Murphys have returned with a brand new album. This is not just once a year music, however, these guys make records to digest and listen to year round.

Their current release, "Going Out In Style", is a loose concept album based around the life of Boston hero Cornelius Larkin, an Irish immigrant who went on to be a Korean War veteran and organizer with the International Longshoreman's Association. The songs do not appear to be in any particular order conceptually which seems odd for telling a man's life story. I believe that if the songs had been presented chronologically the overall piece would have been more effective. As it stands most of the war stuff is lumped together with the love story angle thrown on at the end. So this album is a bit of a difficult listen in some respects, but it is still highly worthwhile.

All the hallmarks of a classic DKM release are here. Loud guitars, fast tempos, bagpipes, tin whistles, accordion and gang-style big choruses are all represented. The standard covers of traditional Irish songs are represented with "The Irish Rover" and "Peg O' My Heart", the latter featuring a guest vocal by Bruce Springsteen. Both are fun and well done. There is the prerequisite union song "Take 'Em Down" which will get stuck in your head no matter what your feelings are on the topic. Songs about brotherhood, family and "inherited pride" are typical topics for DKM, they are all represented here. I'm not exactly sure where "Sunday Hardcore Matinee" fits into this man's story, but this is rock and roll, so I'll let it pass. Many of these songs are bound to become live staples, With fine examples such as the title track, "The Hardest Mile" and "Deeds Not Words" this new material is DKM's best in years. "Going Out In Style" doesn't top their classics "Do Or Die" and "Sing Loud , Sing Proud", but it is nipping at their heels.

From the preceding paragraph one may get the idea that this sounds like everything else the band's ever done and if you've heard one record you've heard 'em all. Well, yes and no. The band do tend to stick to the same format disc to disc and certainly the traditional elements bind them to a certain way of writing and performing. However, each CD has its own personality. This one tends to be a bit darker than some of the band's earlier releases, but it has more heart than most. It's the little things that make each Dropkick Murphys release unique, and this disc is certainly a standout in their catalogue.

4 out of 5 Daves.