Review

Materdea: Satyricon

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May 11, 2012

Here’s something outta left field – Celtic-progressive-rock from Italy. SATYRICON is Materdea’s second album and its chocker-block full of big contemporary metal riffs and fancy drumming along with operatic female vocals and strong vocal harmonies overlaid with Celtic and medieval teamed lyrics and melodies. The best point of reference I can give is a sound somewhere between Celtic rock originators Horslips and the symphonic metal band Nightwish (we at least their cover of Gary Moore’s OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY- I’m not familiar with the rest of Nightwish’s stuff)

Review

Greenland Whalefishers: Live At Farmer Phil’s Festival

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May 16, 2012

Norway’s Greenland Whalefishers are one of Celtic-punks longest running and consistently great bands and while they are very much routed in the sounds of The Pogues (right down to Arvid’s out MacGowning MacGowan’s vocals) though with a nod to both ’77 and current punk influences.

Live At Farmer Phil’s Festival is a no frills, in the raw recording of the GWFs set at the quirky Farmer Phil’s Festival in the UK and it really capture the power of the GWFs live set that has bashed heads from Poland to California and Japan and is now bashing heads on vinyl. The vinyl package is classy, high quality, blue wax including tons of photos on the inner sleeve – buy it before its gone, it will be a collectors item shortly.

1. 4 Season Song
2. Hit the Ground
3. Waiting
4. I Just Saw You
5. I Am Roving
6. July Morning
7. Rich Holder At Thorp Arch
8. Backup Man
9. Limp Jos Story
10. Loboville
11. The Wild Rover

Review

Lexington Field: Poor Troubled Life

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May 21, 2012

Poor Troubled Life is the quick follow-up to last years “most excellent” ((c) Bill and Ted) debut full length release, OLD DIRT ROAD, and we continue down the old dirt road here on this EP – of course the Old Dirty is part boreen, part Route 66 and part moonshine trail. Not a bad track in sight but special shout out is given to the shout it out, Flogging Molly-ish, SELFISH BASTARD, the Irish traditional, GALWAY BAY, given the ol’ Celtic punk treatment and the Americana of the title track Poor Troubled Life, a song with really cross over potential.

Review

Nick Burbridge & Tim Cotterell: Gathered

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July 5, 2012

Nick Burbridge is a someone whos work I’m very familiar with through both his main gig – McDermotts 2 Hours and his poetic writing. Tim Cotterell’s work I know as both a producer and as fiddler for Glasgow’s The Electrics. Both are very fine musician’s so I’ve been very excited to get to hear this collaboration.

First off, the cover artwork of Gathered sets the tone of the collaboration – a black and white photo of what looks like a dog hanging dead in the forest. Very Blair Witch Project. In fact if I didn’t recognize the names on the sleeve I’d have assumed it was a misdirected Norwegian black metal album. Fortunately, the 12 tracks within have nothing to do with skinny Scandinavians with scary face pant – Its more bleak then that – Burbridge writes songs and stories about real people and real life – failure, resignation and defeat and that’s a lot more fearsum then cartoon horror. The music is equally stark and bleak with acoustic guitar, fiddle and Burbridge’s rich vocals all immaculately crafted together into song smith perfect. Gathered is not an immediate album by any stretch but if you work at it, it will be very rewarding and something that will stick around for a long time.

Review

The Radiators From Space: Sound City Beat

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July 14, 2012

Sound City Beat has been a project that I’ve been very familiar with over the past year plus. I had met the Radiator’s Philip Chevron in March of last year when he was in Boston gigging with his other band to discuss Shite’n’Onions doing the US release of the Rad’s 3rd album – TROUBLE PILGRIM. He had given me a heads up on what the Rad’s were already planning for their 4th album – a collection of covers of Irish rock/beat groups for the mid 60’s to early 70s ranging from tracks from the legendary (Van Morrison’s Them, Thin Lizzy and Rory Gallagher’s Taste) to the long, long forgotten (Sugar Shack, Blue Ace’s, The Creatures) – the primordial soup era of Irish rock if you will.

Now, while it would be pretty easy for a band as good as the Radiators to knock out the 18 tracks here on SCB and call it a tribute or a history lesson but not so as the boys have obviously spent a tremendous amount of time on picking the right track from each band covered as opposed to picking the bleeding obvious, so that each song on the album flows effortlessly into the next and almost to the point where the listener could be convinced into believing that SCB is an album of originals. How does it sound? While the songs are true to the origins, whether beat/garage/ psychedelic/folk rock or even pure pop but dragged through ’77 for the attitude and snarl and reborn into the 21s century yet still as fresh as it was ’67.

Sound City Beat is out on the legendary Chiswick Records and the Radiators are joined by Henry McCullough (the only Irish man to play Woodstock and who was Paul McCartney’s guitar man for years) who add licks on the version of Eire Apparent’s – Yes, I Need Someone – Henry was Eire Apperent’s guitar player but unfortunately got booted from the band prior to their debut album being recorded with Jimi Hendrix twiddling the knobs – so a nice opportunity to complete some unfinished business for Henry. Also joining the Rad’s is Terry Woods, Philips mate from his other long time gig and Eamon Carr drummer from Horslips who does the spoken word portion of Thin Lizzy”s Dublin….which makes a decent lead into The Lady Wrestler, the long lost, should have been Horslips debut single but was never released that spiritually closes the albums – my involvement with the Radiators came about trying to compile a Horslips tribute (which is still ongoing) and the offer of the band to cover The Lady Wrestler. While never really a beat group it seems to fit the album and symbolically close out the era in the same way the Johnny’s Wedding, Horslips debut single was the beging of the new era of Irsh rock….and rest is history

Not a Pogues album, not a punk album but something that anyone interest in Rock music from Ireland (or just an interest in perfectly performed though uncompromising rock’n’roll) should own.

Review

Smokey Bastard: Tales From The Wasteland

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May 1, 2012

Smokey Bastard are a frantic, banjo centric, folk-punk outfit outta London with their second album, TALES FROM THE WASTELAND, a strong follow-up to their strong debut, CRASHING THROUGH FLOORS. To my ears Smokey Bastard occupy the middle ground somewhere between The Pogues and Dropkick Murphys with a nod of the head towards Springsteen and his Seeger Sessions Band- Mrs McGRATH/My SON JOHN get’s a good kicking here, and ASPIRATIONS, I HAVE SOME name checks Springsteen himself. My guilty pleasure though? MAMMA MIA the old ABBA chestnut, Celtic-punk hasn’t been so much fun since Mr. Irish Bastard went Living La Viva Loco.

Review

Jamie Clarke’s Perfect: Beatboys

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April 25, 2012

I’m guessing this is the 5th release by Jamie Clarke’s Perfect that we’ve reviewed here at Castle S’n’O, so you all know the story of Jamie and his membership of The Pogues, replacing the might Philip Chevron and playing on and writing material for the final Pogues studio album, 1986’s, POGUE MAHONE. All the prior Perfect releases have been consistently strong – mixing folk, polka and other Cental and Eastern Eurpean souunds with Irish, punk and Pogues. BEATBOYS, I’d argue is Perfects best release to date, a bigger band, a bigger sound – Punk’n’Irish meets Rock-a-billy and strong Tutonic influence (Jamie is based in German) Highlights include, a great version of THE SUN THE MOON from POGUE MAHONE and Johnny / June Carter Cash inspired JACKSON and folk-a-billyBEATBOYS and pretty much everything on the album.

Review

Black Friday: Live At The Brewery

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March 31, 2012

Black Friday are a Pogues-ish, Clash-ish, Maritime Celtic punk outfit from the south west of England – that’s Cornwall for all those that don’t own a map. LIVE AT THE BREWERY is Black Fridays second full length album and their 2nd live album if memory servers me correctly, though this new album is almost evenly split between originals, trad standards and a couple of contemporary standards – GUNS OF BRIXTON and BLACK FRIDAY RULE as opposed to their debut that was all standards except the masterful original GOT TO GO which reappears here in all its glory. If LIVE AT THE BREWERY is anything to go by then Black Friday are a very fine live band though we still await the studio debut to make it all official.

Review

Garrahan’s Ghost: Songs from the Spider Box

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March 11, 2012

Songs from the Spider Box, is the very musically clever debut from York, PA based Garrahan’s Ghost. I say musically clever as the Ghosts combine speedy, high energy Celtic rock with a punk/new wave-ish edge (I say new wave as the vocals by Roo Nevin make me think back to that era) and tight musicianship, prominent accordion, fluid and at times jazzy guitars, a bit polka, a bit gypsy, a bit sleazy lounge act, and a bit Irish dance (Ceile) band. Jewels Jig and Houdini Diablo are the most Celtic/Folk/Punk tracks if the clever bit doesn’t scare you off.

Review

The Langer’s Ball: Drunk, Sick and Tired

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February 5, 2012

As a rule, I am not typically one for live records. But Wait! Hang on, hear me out!

I have always seen an artist’s release, (or “album,” as we used to call them,) as an collective statement: a work of art. Some hits that are well-received and popular tracks are great, but B-sides and deep cuts, to me, provide each work of recorded material with a personality. I love that. A full-length recording SHOULD be assembled with thought going to the order of the tracks, the mood of the songs and how they flow into each other.

Also, the bands that recorded them, the authors that wrote them, the mixing and production process, that whole gamut, this was all done to realize an idea of each song, and the recording as a whole. It gives a sense of flow, a cohesiveness that can make a collection of songs into much more.

But wait! I also love live shows! The energy and passion that a band can produce from sheer enthusiasm, synergy between performers and audience, the camaraderie amidst the revelry amongst the crowd. It is a great experience.

However, a lot of the things that I love about live shows, and a lot of the things I love about studio releases are typically missing from your average “live CD,” (this usually also applies to “Greatest Hits” and various artist compilations.)

Now, this may just be my own personal perspective, but I felt it necessary to mention where my head was at as I listened to the new live CD from The Langer’s Ball.

Minnesota’s The Langer’s Ball have released a new recorded-live-on-St.-Patrick’s-day CD, Drunk, Sick and Tired. Originally a duo, Hannah Rediske and Michael Sturm have been banging out the Irish Punk sound since 2007, playing major gigs all over the midwestern U.S. and have released two very well received releases, 2008’s As I Roved Out and 2009’s Ships Are Sailing.

Along with Sturm and Rediske’s guitar, mandolin, vocals, accordion, and penny whistle, Drunk, Sick and Tired sees the addition of bass guitar, electric guitar, drums & additional backing vocals seeing the Ball take on the form of a quintet.

The result is a very enthusiastic live collection of songs, versions of well known numbers, mostly tradition ones, all punked up and blasted through with a special kick on the keister.

As I said, I am not typically a fan of live recordings, but listening to Drunk, Sick, and Tired DOES make me wish I was at this show. It sounds like it was a blast!

So, if you like live recordings and look for CDs that capture a band’s performance highlights, AND like hearing amped up versions of some classic songs, then The Langer’s Ball’s Drunk Sick and Tired would probably scratch you right where you itch!

It should also be mentioned that Drunk, Sick and Tired was included in both Shite ‘N’ Onions, AND PaddyRock.com’s top 10 of 2011 lists! So there!

Review by Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel

http://thelangersball.com/

Potato-eating, Whiskey-drinking, Bog-trotting, CELTIC PUNK ROCK