Review by Chris McLafferty
Since breaking into the scene in 1998 the Dropkick Murphys have been the symbol of everything Irish, officially grabbing the title in 2006 when “I’m Shipping Off to Boston” became the unofficial theme to the Irish littered “The Departed.” Their yearly St. Patrick’s Day Boston shows are a mecca for Irish Americans, to which we should all make a pilgrimage to at least once a lifetime. For the last 17 years Dropkick Murphys have made every show and every album listen into an audio Irish Car Bomb, freeing us from the banality of day to day life and setting us free to get hammered to walk down the middle of the street chant songs and wave the Irish flag, at least for our minds. 17 years is a long time. 17 years attached to one music style can lead to lots of restlessness, repetitiveness and apathy from both the band and fans. But not for Dropkick Murphys, who continue to find ways to breathe fresh air into something they’ve done for seemingly ever. Even while growing and emerging as a political force both for workers and smashing down the Flaming Bush, they manage to stay true to the Dropkick Murphys style. Their last album Going Out in Style continued their growth into a concept album, far stretching the previous thought box around Dropkick Murphys, proving there is no box. The album told the tale of Cornelius Larkin and showcased how far they had come in those 17 years while also never forgetting how they got there. How do you follow up an album like that? By telling everyone you’re back…then proving it by punching their faces off with fists of Irish Punk!
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1NZcH2haIM&feature=player_embedded&w=450&h=297]“The Boys Are Back” fire start this album like a round of Jamison going around the bar. Getting the blood pumping with the crescendo chanting over the guitar, foot stomping, hand clapping, bag pipe sex fest which explodes into the Dropkick verse you have been anticipating for the last minute. You get everything you’ve craved and more when the raspy cigaretted and whiskey voice comes barreling through to guide you from what I can only imagine is the battle they all face before every show. “I’m missing my home and it’s killing me” is quickly, but not easily, pushed away for “It’s time to get ready for that song and dance.” By the time we find ourselves at the chorus there is no trace of a life outside this song, this music and the fans around, “The Boys Are Back, and they’re looking for trouble!” That’s right Negative Nancys, judgmental intellects and all others who oppose cutting lose, Dropkick Murphys are coming for you, and trust me this song is a riot punch for the masses so they won’t be alone. “Prisoner’s Song,” with a feel of the earlier mentioned “I’m Shipping of to Boston,” reinforces the breath of fresh air I referred to earlier. Even while unleashing the Irish here, this is a crossover hit that expands them outside of the Irish chant songs. If you can sit still during this song, it’s time to lay off the Perks cause your heartbeat is expired. “Rose Tattoo” kicks into Irish folk, showing that again they are Irish in every respect of the word. But it would be ignorant to write this off as just an Irish song from an Irish band as this as some of the best songwriting around. Being able to fully capture you and your past years while infusing something new creates the epic ballad that is “Rose Tattoo.” With lyrics from the journey of experience, sometimes alone, to the Irish tingle across indie waves topped with the chants we’ve come to love while finally closing off with a kick of the punk, this really feels like a complete ride of everything Dropkick. “This one means the most to me, stays here for eternity…An anchor for my every choice…I Signed and Sealed these words in blood. Signed and sealed in blood I would die for you.” Clearly this band is more than the drunken fun they bring and throughout the rest of the album, Dropkick puts it all on display. The fight song,“The Battle Rages On” pounds and burns with a political passion of chants and beautiful melodies filling the air with a sense of comfortability while “My Hero” is a progressive punk shout out to fathers with a beating heart and flalying arms of feeling. “Out of our Heads” adds more riot juice for your St. Patrick’s Day arsenal, the chanting song for losing all inhibitions and letting go. Or as I refer to it at the bar, The “Screw it, I’ll do six more shots” song.
But Dropkick is no one trick pony. “Don’t Tear Us Apart” furthers their push for better living without the backdrop of political issues. The upbeat and moving sounds lay a foundation for change for us to come together as people, helping all of us finish the race instead of tripping others to be the first one across.Keeping with Irish tradition “Jimmy Collin’s Wake,” a tribute to the late Red Sox Manager who pushed them to win their first world series, is a musical emotionally jarring reflective celebration to remember those who have come and affected our lives. “The Season’s Upon Us” comes out of nowhere to become my new anthem for Christmas – a hilarious look on how most of our holidays are. It’s not “It’s a Wonderful Life” but “It’s…my life and these are the people that have the same blood as me,” which only becomes even more awesomely sarcastic on top of a beautiful Christmas blend of Irish décor and holiday sway.
Then, the album dropkicks into a different decade with “Out on the Town” busting out the poodle skirts and leather jackets for a few minutes of jiving and moving, with all the classic elements of whistling, snapping and a guitar solo that’d make Marty McFly drop his cool. Closing out the album is the appropriately named “End of The Night,” a slow dance of 50s proportion. “It’s the end of the night, but we ain’t going home.” Bringing hope to myself and others, that the boys will be back again. This is welcomed news after an album that was uniquely fresh while still being the Dropkick sound we’ve grown to need. Dropkick is still an Irish band first, but continues to erase boundaries on what an Irish band is. Dropkick never grows stale yet never forgets where they came from or who they are. Dropkick are a legend not only for what they’ve done for the Irish Culture, but for what they’ve done for the history of music – carving out the musical road map on how to stay true, stay relevant, and stay loved.
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