Didn’t flatfoot just release a CD? It must be the vigor and energy of youth but less then 12 months since “Knuckles Up”, Chicago’s favorite born again boot boys are back with a new full length. Flatfoot play loud and fast street punk / Oi with the mucho bagpipes. Dropkick Murphys and The Real McKenzies look out.
2007
Review – Mustard Finnegan
It’s amazing how many different musical styles Seanchaí and the Unity Squad can squish into one CD and weave so seamless together – Celtic, Rock’n’Punk, Hip Hop, Electronic, Reggie and even Middle Eastern. “Irish Catholic Boy” kicks off with the balls to the wall guitar and uilleann pipe title track. Then it’s off to Black 47 meets electronic territory with “Gypo” from John Fords masterpiece “The Informer” and “Ernesto Guevara Lynch.” (though you can call me a cynic but had Che’ not been executed he’d have most likely turned into a old murdering bastard of a dictator like his buddy Castro and for that matter does anyone think had Collins lived would have been any different from Dev). The temp drops on the next few tracks as Rachel Fitzgerald joins Chris Byrne on vocals then takes over and man does she have an incredible voice. The electronic “Pope John II, Jerry Springer, and me” is very clever – Chris call’s into Springer’s radio show and run’s rings around the bloviating Springer.
2007
Review – Mustard Finnegan
The Fucking Buckaroos is great name for a band if ever there was one. No chance of ever being played on commercial radio with that name and absolutely no chance with their sound – Hank Williams meets The Filthy Thieving Bastards on a tour of the seedier drinking holes of San Francisco.
2007
Review – Mustard Finnegan
The Tossers last full length release – The Valley of the Shadow of Death – is an absolute classic in my humble opinion – easily one of my top 10 Celtic Punk CDs of all time – on a scale of 1 to 10 its an 11. For The Tossers it was always going to be a tough one to top. Agony comes close – a 9 on the aforementioned scale. So why not the 10 (or even the 11)? Each of the 17 tracks on Agony could easily fit snugly into Valley but Agony is missing it’s equivalent of “Goodmornin’ Da” or the very brilliant “No Loot, No Booze, No Fun”. Still there are truly standout tracks in “Leopardstown Races”, “Siobhan” and “Be” (the “Late”) of Agony. Highly recommended (9 out of 10).
One more thing. What’s with the cheapo death metal art work? I going to blame Victory Records for that.
2007
Review – Mustard Finnegan
Talk about yer tough jobs, ‘One Step Ahead Of Hell’ has the challenge of following The Killigans’ brilliant debut, ‘Brown Bottle Hymnal’. While ‘Brown Bottle Hymnal’ hit the scene like a bucket of ice water in the morning, ‘One Step Ahead of Hell’ takes that wake-up call and expands upon it. In my opinion, the biggest difference between this release and the awesome ‘Brown Bottle Hymnal’ is variety. Where the band’s debut CD immediately showed a common thread that permeated its sound, ‘One Step…’ shows a real spreading of the band’s wings, which seems less concerned with maintaining a particular sound and, in doing so, shows a cohesiveness and signature with such a naturally occurring ease that I think this band could be recognized doing any song they chose. This signature sound is due largely to Brad Hoffman’s vocals. Sounding almost as if it underwent the same distortion as Chris Nebesniak’s guitar, together they create a sound as distinctive as anything else in this genre. The two compliment each other perfectly and work well with the driving urgency brought forth by the band’s hyperactive rhythm section, (how many arms does this drummer have, anyways?). Also worthy of mention is Pat Nebesniak, as one of the few accordion players aware of the power of subtlety, and Zach Stroup’s mandolin can sit in the front of the mix being delicate enough not to overshadow the other instruments but focused enough to carve out its own identity. The addition of piper Edwin Makusha smoothes out the transition, adding a fuller, more mature sound.
In the end it’s the songs that win the day, and ‘One Step Ahead of Hell’ delivers. The entire CD is stacked with high-energy one-two punchers that hit like a sock full of tacks. My favorites: disc opener, Shame and Sorrow, the barn-burning Through The Flames, tear-jerker, The Letter, and disc closer, Kids on the Street.
For fans of the ‘Brown Bottle Hymnal’, I highly recommend ‘One Step Ahead of Hell’, you won’t be disappointed. For those unaware of the Killigans, check out this CD and you will probably soon own ‘Brown Bottle Hymnal’ as well.
2007
Review – Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel
Well its been barely a year since the last album from Melbourne’s hard-working paddy punk-outfit The Go Set, and it was with some excitement indeed that I received “A Journey for a Nation” in the mail. And right from the outset, I was not disappointed – a great cover depicting scenes from a working-class, industrial looking city backdrop with newspaper clippings of strikes and union action – a most appropriate image for a band whose lyrics are always representative of the common man – both today and in the past.
Now where to start…first perhaps a brief note for those unfamiliar with this band. The Go Set are an indie band mixing up the punk genre with a mix of celtic instrumentation (bag pipes, mandolin piano accordion etc.) combined with a political outspoken-ness to match legendary Australian band Midnight Oil.
Singer/songwriter Justin Keenan has delivered in this album another set of clever songs expressing his brilliance as a story-teller commanding vivid imagery and a sense of injustice in the pit of your stomach.
The album is definitely a progression for the band. Lyrically it is probably the strongest and their experimentation on the instrumentation and melody front has increased with every album. Some of the songs on this album could almost be classed as trad-rock rather than trad-punk, but they pull it off with the same sense of urgency and it is a treat for the ears start to finish. The sleeve notes mention that this album was arranged in the studio as part of the recording process, rather than taking life on the stage first and I think you can tell this from the increased complexity of some of the arrangements over perhaps some of the raw energy from the earlier releases – not that there’s any energy lacking in some of these tracks!
The album kicks off with “Fortune and Gold”, a tale of mutiny and murder with pipes and a clever little mandolin counter-melody.
This is followed up with the happy-feeling “The Rising Tide” with very catchy use of piano accordion & violin.
“The New Minority” has great imagery combined with a serious social commentary – a sweet melody with some female vocals that took a bit of getting used to for me – my first introduction to the sounds of the fairer sex on a Go Set album!!!
Next comes “Swings and Roundabouts” – a good ol’ rocking tune – traditional Go Set – can’t go wrong!
And followed up by “Bakery Hill”, possibly my favourite tune off the album after only a few listens – this is truly The Go Set at their best, a bagpipe-driven anthem with some great guitar riffs too.
“Sheppards Town” comes in next, The Go Set really do bring small-town working-class living to life in their songs. This is a great mix of the The Go Set’s traditional sound with some new instrumentation.
“Catching the Sun” follows – a mid-tempo, pretty song – poignant lyrics about life in the slow lane.
“Oceans of Blue” comes in next which is another possible favourite – great imagery, a very clever little guitar riff and overall, just brilliant arrangement.
“A Story to Tell” is a ballad, again conjuring up great imagery mixing up family life with the impossible rock n roll dream of an indie band …
“Welcome to the World” launches us straight back into full on Go Set again- excellent stuff, another political anti-war/environmentalist gem.
Next The Go Set lads perform a cover of Billy Bragg’s “Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards” – a very appropriate song for this band, recognising Bragg’s influence over their style: Mixing pop and politics…and it works well with McHaggis’ pipes and the overall rocking feel.
The album closes out with “Journey of a Thousand Miles” – an epic track at 7 minutes long. First thing that struck me with it was the enlightened rhythm section – just spot on. A very beautiful accordion melody, a few more female vocals and another legendary set of story-telling lyrics from Keenan.
The Go Set have delivered another quality album and yet it isn’t more of the same either…something for new and old fans alike. I can’t wait to see how this all pans out in a live show as they take this album on the road with all the enthusiasm only The Go Set can muster…great work lads!!! I strongly recommend this album, and if you ever get the chance, make sure you get to a live show!
2007
Review – Alex Dean
Is the word masterpiece too much?
I have been listening to Amadan for roughly 6-7 years now. In those 6-7 years, I have seen Amadan progress from a traditional cover band into something way beyond this genre we call Celt-Punk, and I must say, it’s like a breath of fresh air. Not that there’s anything wrong with hearing random traditional songs done by numerous folk-punk bands, but it was time to push it a bit further, and in my opinion, Amadan’s “Pacifica” has done just that.
At a recent footy match, I ran into Eric Tonsfeldt (Songwriter/Guitarist/Vocalist). He told me Amadan had an album release party the next night in Eugene, Oregon and invited me to go. (I obviously was in on that road trip!) Just so you know, Eugene is about 100 miles away, and the drive provides a perfect opportunity to listen to a new album or two. So there I was, spontaneously reviewing an album as the principal songwriter provided details about the album as we drove toward a record release party. (That has to be a S’n’O first! )
Upon first listen, the music is beyond any comparison. Nothing, and I mean nothing else sounds like their new album. If you have heard “Hellbent”, then you may be on the right track, but you’re still not even close. As I have previously mentioned, “Pacifica” is not a folk-punk album, it’s way beyond that.
Considering the vast amount of musical space “Pacifica” covers. I will try to provide a track by track itinerary. We start out with “The Old North End” It’s a rockin’ little ode to Portland’s seedy Old Town. Google Shanghai tunnels for a more detailed account, after a few spins, you’ll be singing right along.
With “Anchor Tattoo” it gets even faster, and in a nutshell could almost describe the sound of the band, (Well almost.) If your foot isn’t tapping to this little ditty, you should seek medical attention.
“Not Your Man” is more or less the audio form of bible-thumping repellent. Fantastic lyrics, & amazing musicianship. We reflect on certain people of our past In “Used To Know” and speaking of people from our past, you need to take a listen to the next track, “Serenity” (Quite possibly, my favorite track on the album.)
The 1-2-3 punch of “Pishi”, “Coming Home” & “Mescaline” will simply blow you out of the water. This manic medley starts out as an instrumental, peaks in the middle, and suddenly breaks down back to level ground. If you’re looking for some orchestrated mayhem check out this trifecta. Up next, it’s the old standard “The Leaving Of Liverpool” done Amadan style. This song originally appeared on their first album/demo “Sons Of Liberty” but this version is better, way better!
Up next is “Damn This!” Someone sounds a little cynical and needs another beer… Speaking of good times, the next track is “Devil In The Kitchen” and if you thought Ashley MacIsaac annihilated this traditional song, you need to hear fellow Canadian, Naoyuki Ochiai’s blistering version. The fiddle playing is so god-damned fast, I partially blame Amadan for global warming. On a serious note, the album ends with “Devolution Now” A much needed rant towards religious oppression. A rant worth mentioning. A rant worth listening to. And an album worth every penny.
2007
Review – Barnacle Brian
Rightso…2 things I have to say before I even start trying to review this album, and these are the first 2 things that struck me within 30 seconds of getting the package out of the mailbox, opened on the kitchen bench and chucking the CD on the stereo…
1) Reading through the song titles on the back of the cover, as sure as Shane MacGowan is the godfather of our beloved paddy punk, “We’re all Wicked Liquored Up at the Upscale Downtown Irish Pub” is the coolest name for a song I have ever heard
2) They have a piano in their line-up. This is rather unique for this style of music and as soon as the first notes hit my ears I was whisked away to a magical, faraway place in my early childhood (about ages 3-7) because at this time my parents exposed me to exclusively classical music (which I was not fond of) AND the following 4 albums (all of which I was very fond of): Billy Joel – The Stranger, Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Steeleye Span – some collection, who knows what and 5 Hand Reel – For A’ That. And bizarrely enough, The Larkin Brigade sound like a mix of all 4 of those artists. Go figure???
OK – sorry about that, but I felt compelled to share…now back to the topic at hand given that this is an album review, not a “My Mum didn’t hug me enough” psychiatry session for me.
Paddy Keys for Mayor is the first album release for The Larkin Brigade – a 4-piece from Boston playing fast-paced Celtic-infused music, with a punk-ish feel. Drums, bass, violin and piano make for a very unique sound that needs to be heard to be properly appreciated. The album is well upbeat, kicking you out of your chair and cocking your ears to catch the next funky piano lick, or violin trill over the top of a driving rhythm section. I reckon these guys would do one solid live show that couldn’t leave you with anything but a big smile on your face.
The first track, “Tim Phoolan and the Worst Campaign for City Council Ever” is a great intro to the album. It hits you straight away with what The Larkin Brigade are all about – cymbal-heavy percussion, beefy bass, violin-melody with a crazy piano running all over the place. Pat’s vocals are thick-sounding, yet light-hearted and engaging.
“Banana Republic” and “Dot Day” follow this up nicely with a similar feel to Tim Phoolan. Some sweet work on the harmonica in Banana adds a nice touch. Dot has a catchy melody and great toe-tapping rhythm – very clever little song.
“Planxty John L.” incorporates some great timing changes that deliver a punch as good as the Irish-American boxer who is the subject of the song.
“This is a Rebel Cry” and “Mission Thrill” are a couple of fun tracks complete with drinking and ninja turtle references. The latter has a great bridge section that could have come from traditional session in any decent Irish pub the world over.
“Sean South From Garryowen” shares the same tune as Roddy McCorley and cranks up the temperature with some wicked bagpipes giving you that extra shot of adrenaline only a good ol’ rebel song can deliver.
“The Tinker” has some great changes of tempo infused with a clever violin riff and finishes with a soaring fiddle solo. Following this is a sweet little instrumental: “Tabhair Dom Do Lamh” and then we’re transported straight into a noisy piano bar for a bit of good ol’ rag time jamming.
“We’re All Wicked Liquored Up at the Upscale Downtown Irish Pub” as I already noted could never go wrong for me and it is a great song turning the piano bar into an Irish pub full of drunken Powers-infused punters wrecking the joint.
The album closes out with “The Banshee Went to Outer Space”, another solid track with some crazy fast lyrics, punk-beats and vocals, a bit of electronic madness chucked in for good measure and all with the goods on the rhythm and pounding piano this album delivers in spades.
So this album really gives you something unique. Not for the die-hard punk perhaps, but to anyone who likes their music with a cheeky sense of humour that isn’t taking itself too seriously, who can handle their rhythm loud and proud and void of guitar, who can dig a violin and piano being used as assault rifles on the ears, and can take their whiskey straight or in a tall glass of coke – this comes with an A-grade recommendation from this reviewer. Slainte!
2007
Review – Alex Dean
In the whole Irish rock scene in the US, IWF are totally on a planet of one. I think someone; somewhere likened them to They Might Be Giants meets Hothouse Flowers – sort of lad back, somewhat funky alt-rock with a touch of Irish. “The Great American Something” builds on the bands previous 2 full lengths and I would say easily their strongest release. Check out “Talk to Me”, it’s a rock radio hit if ever I heard one – that’s if radio ever had the balls to play it.
2007
Texas based Murder the Stout play are a self described “Progressive Celtic Music” group comprised of a Scott, an Irish Man and 3 Texans with “Imported” being their debut release of twenty traditional and contemporary Celtic standards squished into thirteen tracks. I’d describe MTS as a high-energy, straight ahead trad. group, like the Clancy Brothers on Redbull.
Probably the best endorsement I can give for “Imported” is that when I had a Paddy’s Day party for the family this year, “Imported” was heavily played – the perfect Paddy’s Day CD when you don’t want to scare the very old or very young yet want to be entertained yourself.
2007
Shite'n'Onions 