Reviews

The third full length from irish-folk rockers Flogging Molly crashes into you drunkenly and smiles as it picks you up off the ground and embraces you in a boisterous jig. They have the single best live show I have ever attended, a pulse pounding, brotherly, and energetic show. It is hard for me to imagine anyone not liking this band. They blend seamlessly irish folk-rock influences with a strong dose of punk and a goulash of other random influences into a Guinness-soaked stew of arm-locked anthems. With an acoustic guitar, an electric, drums, a violin, a tin whistle, an accordion, a mandolin, a banjo, and dave king’s heavily accented voice weaving through it, Flogging Molly stay much more folk sounding than other irish-punk bands, such as the newer Dropkick Murphys albums. The best comparison is probably to the Pogues, but even that stays far from complete. Flogging Molly have a knack for making their songs sound full and engrossing without becoming overwhelming with how much is going on, keeping the energy high on the fast songs and the emotion tangible on the slower ballads. This new cd stacks up favorably with their two previous releases (swagger and drunken lullabies), with a couple songs that sound a little familiar, such as Queen Anne’s Revenge, which sounds similar to Another Bag of Bricks from Drunken Lullabies, and Screaming at the Wailing Wall, which sounds related to Black Friday Rule from Swagger. Regardless, this cd has its share of fast anthemic ditties, slow vocally centered ballads, and emotionally charged mid tempo songs. Stand-outs are the fast paced, politically charged first song (Screaming at the Wailing Wall), the instant sing-a-long Seven Deadly Sins, the mid-tempo and minor keys of the closing track, With a Wonder and a Wild Desire, and also a track with guest vocals from Lucinda Williams (factory girls) to check out. Noticeably, the ballads have grown a little more complex, no longer minimally relying on king’s voice centrally; now the ballads build themselves more complexly, with several instruments layering in to the slower paced songs. Overall, I love this band and this album continues right where there last left off: Tightly orchestrated celtic songs of life and death and everything in between. Pick this up and go see them.