Shane MacGowan has pulled together a pretty impressive list of friends to record a cover of Screamin Jay Hawkins', 'I Put A Spell On You' - Including Nick Cave, Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream), Glen Matlock (The Sex Pistols) Mick Jones (The Clash) and Johnny Depp. Keith Richards may also be involved. Finally a charity single that won't suck musically.
Veteran Folk Rockers, The Men They Couldn’t Hang are back with some all new material in their newest release, Devil On The Wind, their fifteenth since the band’s formation way back in 1985.
The Men They Couldn’t Hang have always created a vaguely dream-like atmosphere with their music, going from toothy and aggressive, with songs like the foreboding title track, and the scary, campfire-appropriate monster tale, The Beast of Brechfa, to melodic, sweet stories of times past, like Mrs. Avery or Heartbreak Park.
The years have not changed the band’s cleanly identifiable sound, either, and all of those elements are in full effect here. The subtly country/alt. rock, peppered with folk instrumentation and all done with crystal clear production that allows every note, word, and beat to be heard with perfect clarity.
That aforementioned instrumentation, augmenting the band’s regular line-up, consists of guests on violin, squeezebox, banjo, harmonica, trumpet, Uilleann pipes, piano, mandolin and dulcimer. And although TMTCH’s punk edges and burrs seem to have been worn into a more seasoned and polished sound over the years, this variety of instruments gives a greater depth to the assortment of sounds and moods on Devil on The Wind.
It is difficult to categorize or classify the sound of The Men They Couldn’t Hang with any accuracy, unless one has heard TMTCH. If you have, then Devil On The Wind may be something you should look into. It is (yet another!) strong addition to this long-running band’s impressive catalog!
Review by Christopher P. Toler, THE Blathering Gommel
Before anything else, I think it needs to be acknowledged that “Firkin” is a great name for a band. It has an great, antiquated, British Isles pedigree. As a unit of measure, (meaning roughly nine gallons!) it has a vague “mass consumption” reference. And, of course, all that Firkin’ wordplay just Firkin’ waitin’ to be employed!
But a great name doesn’t mean a firkin’ thing if the band can’t back it up.
And Firkin? Yeah. They bring it. Intense is probably the most appropriate word to describe these rowdy Hungarians. The CD, “A Firkinful Of Beer” (Firkinful?) is a 17-track release, (Yes, I said SEVENTEEN!) comprised of almost all covers, (with two or three originals, added in for color!) But these covers are different from your phone-in album-filler, there is effort made to make these songs the band’s own. A lot of effort.
The covers vary from traditionals like “The Galway Races,” “Irish Rover,” and “The Drunken Sailor,” to a number of songs from the Flogging Molly catalog! And all of the originals, traditionals and FM covers get the same Firkin’ treatment, (see how well that works!): A ripping, King-esque vocals, traditional instrumentation such as flute, fiddle, and whistle bringing in the Celtic sound and all of that hanging on for its dear life on top of a straight-up heavy metal rhythm section that is, in my opinion, the real star of the show. This is what gives these firkers an identity that really stands out in a field like this!
As far as covers go, the Budapest-based septet does the job right. But I would really like to see a full-length release of original material from these guys! I think it would be something really unusual, in a good Firkin’ way.
Review by Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel!
