Review

Big Bad Bollocks: Hanged at Gibbet Rock

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Originally released in 1991, Big Bad Bollocks’ Hanged at Gibbet Rock has been re-released on the “Load a’Bollocks” label for 2008 and available through the bands website, along with their other fine products.

“…Gibbet Rock” starts off as strongly as any Bollocks release, (or even as strongly as any young Paddy-Punk band can hope to,) with the song “Whiskey in me tea” (and for an idea about what I mean, check out the video on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHNQ4BGjskc,) and keeps up that pace through the disc’s ten tracks including a beautiful rendition of “Sally Gordon,” and the appropriately enthusiastic standards, “Waxies Dargle” and “Leaving Liverpool.”

The original songs on this earlier release are all of the upbeat, party, “happy-drunk” variety that the Bollocks’ have become known for and have that same quality of an incidental Celtic lilt as well as lyrics that seem as much of a cathartic purging of unresolved issues as they do odes to, and about, Johnny Allen’s days gone by back home in his native Derbyshire.

There’s no denying that Mr. Allen’s got a powerful and distinct voice, and even on this earlier release his crooning bravado seems fully developed and presents as a comfortable and commanding entity directing the energy of each of the ten tracks. This does pose a bit of an inconvenience on the other instruments, however, relegating the majority of them further back in the mix, giving the disc less depth and polish than later Big Bad Bollocks’ offerings.

Although lacking the theme, finish and shine of the “Night on the Tiles’ or even the production depth of “Where the Beef Meets the Sea,” “Hanged at Gibbet Rock” presents as an early snapshot of the swaggering Johnny ‘Alien’ Allen and co. as a fledgeling outfit still developing their sound, and cruising past a point where many the lesser bands have peaked.

2008

Review by Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel

Review

The Dreadnoughts: Legends Never Die

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This highly-anticipated release, (well, by me, anyways!) grabbed me immediately upon my first play through, living up to and even surpassing my expectations. No “How-do-you-dos” or needing to grow on me, No! Just here it is… BAM! A favorite new disc that I hadn’t heard before!

The Dreadnoughts’ sound is one of a driving, crunchy guitar at the helm of a tight and kinetic rhythm section that provides a dynamic underscore for the combination of traditional instruments that define each tune, specifically mandolin, fiddle, and one monster accordion. All these elements come together for an intricate and engaging backdrop for Ol’ Jimmy’s distinctive, rolling roar.

But at the end of the day, its the songs that carry the CD, and here is where Legends Never Die really shines! The disc’s 11 tracks include frantic and frenzied hornpipe and reel-based Celtic songs, and crashing and forceful whaling and maritime rants full of folk-tale, storytelling lyrics sung with fiery urgency, that blur the lines between contemporary songs and traditional tunes past the point of knowing where one ends and the other begins.

Legends Never Die may be the debut release by Vancouver quintet The Dreadnoughts, but it possesses all the confidence, muscle, and production of a seasoned outfit in the prime of their career.

Recommendation: You should really own this. Seriously.

2008

Review by Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel

Review

The Pubcrawlers: One Too Many Again

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The Pubcrawlers, for those whose don’t know, is a ten-headed, sonic hydra belching out briny pub-shanties with infectious enthusiasm and a loaded arsenal at their disposal.

This beast is fronted by a salty-voiced pirate of a vocalist whose spleenful barking resembles something closer to enraged spoken-word poetry than actually singing, for a result perfectly befitting the nautically-themed songs on this, the band’s second full-length CD.

One Too Many Again is a 13-track collection of Celtic folk-punk songs/tunes with a strong pirate-sounding influence, (including a paean to The American Hockey League team out of Maine, The Portland Pirates!) on a large and varied collection of instruments including bagpipes, accordion, drums, fiddle, mandolin, guitars, banjo, bass, and tin whistle.

The high-impact, energetic assortment of songs and tunes extolls the virtues and pitfalls of the bottle, Lady Luck and that ficklest of mistresses, the sea. And although the entire release moves along at a pretty good clip with no real ballads, the band does include a guttural, yet particularly emotional version of ‘Back Home In Derry.’

The ‘Crawlers may enter the fray with one metric sh*tload of traditional instruments, (everything shy of the Tibetan anus flute!), but, to their credit, they don’t try to stuff all of their sounds in together for every minute, but instead create a rich, multi-layered sound of convincing sea ditties, mug-swingers and fist-pumpers.

So if you like your buckles swashed, your sea-dogs scurvy and your Celtic folk-punk with the sting of sea-spray, you may want to get yer hooks into this release.

2008

Review by Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel

Review

The Tossers: Gloating and Showboatin’ (Live on St. Patrick’s Day)

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Live on St. Patrick’s Day indeed!!! Haven’t both the Dropkick Murphy’s and Shane MacGowan previously released Live on St. Patrick’s Day concerts? Basically, here we have a CD/DVD package of The Tossers live in their home town of Chicago on the big day in 2006. Live and in the raw is the best way to experience the Tossers and both the disk and DVD do a great job. In fact all that’s missing from experiencing the real live Tossers show is getting an elbow in the face and some clown pukeing on your shoes. Also, its nice to finally have a version of “Seven Drunken Nights” with Clay on vocals. The CD and DVD are both from the same set but there is also a whole bunch of additional live/bootleg/videos on the DVD. A great double disk and great value.

(PS I very almost slammed this release ‘cos I was pissed the Victory can’t seem to think to send Shite’n’Onions a review copy – then again I should be thankful I ain’t on their promo list ‘cos I can’t stand anything else on the Victory label.)

2008

Review

The Mighty Regis: County Sligo

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Any band named after the greatest Irish American of all time – Regis Philbin – is O.K. with me. Seriously though, The Mighty Regis are a very fine Celtic-punk band from Hollywood, California who along with The “Mighty” Dirges form the backbone of the scene at LA’s Molly Malone pub. Though The Regis are much more rooted in the traditional Irish sound then the more punky Dirges. The Pogues at full galloping Bottle of Smoke speed is the very obvious influence here. A twenty fuckin five to one winner.

2008

Review

Black 47: Iraq

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Somewhere deep down I just know B47s main man Larry Kirwan gives thanks for GWB. I’m not saying that beneath the veneer of an East Village liberal is a gun toting red neck (and haired) Republican, but if it wasn’t for GWB and the Iraq war then B47 would still be stuck in the neutral gear they have found themselves in for the last few years. “Iraq” has again given Black 47 that purpose they had in their early albums. For those of you new to the scene and unfamiliar with Black 47 – the basic B47 sound is a familiar traditional Irish foundation built upon by horns, punk’n’pub rock (and the blues!!! in “Sadr City”) along with Kirwan’s Springsteen like lyrics that on Iraq look at the war though the eyes of the ordinary s olider, Iraqi and loved ones left behind (“The ballad of Cindy Sheehan” is touching – though still I think she is insane). Still one of the best and most original bands out there.

2008

http://www.black47.com/

Review

Jamie Clarke’s Perfect: You Drove Me To It

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By my count this is the 4th studio release from the former Pogues guitarist. The German based Perfect have now expanded to a 4 piece and there is a definite noticeable filling out of the sound. Style wise, “You Drove Me To It” is very much similiar to previous Perfect releases – classic British pop/rock meets the Irish-punk of The Pogues on the stage of a German beer hall. The disk is a little heavy on Pogues covers (4 out 14) though I do really like the almost polka Tobi’s Fall (IISFFGWG). ‘Adorable’, a really great original, originally on “Sickly men of 30 or so” has been re-recoded as a sparser more guitar oriented version. Well worth seeking out.

2008

Review

The Fisticuffs: Neatly Stumblin’

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A coupla’ months ago I ran across this band and ordered their debut CD, Bruised But Not Beaten and found it to be a very enjoyable entry into my Paddy-Punk library. And although this first release didn’t immediately inspire me to write a review, it had certainly whetted my appetite for further material. Fortuitous timing as I discovered this 2006 release only weeks before their follow-up disc, Neatly Stumblin’ was released. It is this CD that I am writing about today.

The Fisticuffs are a young, (formed in 2005,) six-piece hailing from South-Side Chicago and according to their MySpace page, list The Tossers and Flogging Molly early amongst their influences. These influences are evident from the first listen through, and comparisons to those bands are proving a challenge to avoid. So apologies in advance.

Neatly Stumblin’s instrumentation includes fiddle, mandolin, whistle, guitar, bass and drums, with some added harmonica and banjo peppered in here and there for some added spice. At the front of this mix are Bobby Baldwin’s barking vocals coming in like a mid-way point between Flogging Molly’s Dave King and The Killigan’s Brad Hoffman, but with a pinch more ire, like he is justing getting past a mean case of road rage. My only complaint is that they seem mixed a slight bit too loud on some songs, giving a feeling of disconnectedness from the rest of musicians. This, however, is not the case for all tracks, fortunately, and the majority of the vocals work quite well with the rest of the sound creating a solid recognizable entity.

The band chose to include a couple of covers on this release, (including Whiskey in the Jar, and Finnegan’s Wake,) however, with a total of sixteen tracks on the disc bringing it’s total time in at just under an hour, one can’t really accuse them of using covers as “filler” material. Originals on the disc range from toe-tappers to mosh soundtracks to a couple of lilting instrumentals, without a dog in the bunch. However, I have no idea why the band chose to not put God Bless Ya Rosie on their MySpace page. This is an awesome song that would definitely be moving this disc!

Now I know that this is reflective of my own personal tastes, but the mandolin/fiddle interplay from the debut release is what made me buy this sophomore disc, and I am really happy I did. This particular element is a strong feature on Neatly Stumblin’ and, along with Mr. Baldwin’s enthusiastic vocals, really creates a defining signature sound for this band.

With its many good songs and catchy riffs, I would recommend The Fisticuffs’ Neatly Stumblin’ for fans of Flogging Molly, The Killigans, and The Tossers, or just anyone who really digs mandolin and fiddle riddled Chicago-Irish punk!

2008

Review by Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gomme

Review

JD And The Longfellows: Happy Hour Again

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I really feel that I didn’t give JD And The Longfellows first album, “Confessions”, a fare shake when I was putting together the Shite’n’Onions best releases of 2006. It didn’t quite make the top 10 – mostly cos I only got me grubby hands on the release late in December of that year – so I gave them an honorable mention. In retrospect 2 years later and after multiple listens if I could go back in time I’d move it up into the top 5 (then again if I could go back to 2006 I’d more likely be cleaning up on sports betting wins…..).

I’m very glad to say the “Happy Hour Again” is more of the same as the hedonistic JD leads his Longfellows through a drunken night of debauchery through London’s low life pubs in his familiar growling baritone. The Longfellows are the ultimate party-folk band with their mix of drinking lyrics and aggressive folk-punk meets jazz meets blues and American Country. I also really like the angelic jazzy backing and co- vocals of Clare Longfellow who acts as the perfect foil to the growling JD on this release. And if that doesn’t take your fancy then note this – ‘Happy Hour Again” is the ultimate party record of the year.

2008

http://www.jdandthelongfellows.com/

Review

The Righs: The Rivers Run Deep

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Okay, I gotta admit, I hard a hard time getting into the release ‘The Rivers Run Deep’ by Oklahoma’s The Righs. I couldn’t put my finger on why this was, though, and I decided that instead of putting it aside, I would scrutinize the disc and write up my criticisms. In doing this, however, the CD not only grew on me after only a couple of spins but I also developed quite an appreciation of The Righs’ sound.

Most immediately noticeable on the ‘The Rivers Run Deep’ is the CD’s rough cut, ragged edge, reminiscent of a recorded “live-in-the-studio” release which gives an impression of the energy that the band must convey while on stage. Listening further in, I discovered difficulty in finding an umbrella-term that could encompass all the influences at work. I mean, this band is all over the map with original songs of Ireland, (‘Dublin: Easter; 1916’,) cover songs from Scotland, (‘Loch Lomond’, and ‘Amazing Grace’,) a sea shanty, (‘I’m Bound Away’,) a deep country/western caterwauling chorus, (‘I Hope I Never see You Again’,) and tales of ghosts and Hobbits. Most surprisingly to me, though, was the use of a trumpet in a couple of songs, including the lead-off track.

Now, I have never been particularly interested in the trumpet’s sharp, shouting blare and this may have contributed to my initial indifference. I chastised myself for my close-minded hypocrisy, (seeking out and applauding bands for their new, unique and signature sounds, yet quickly blocking my ears at the inclusion of, *gasp,* brass!), despite the instrument’s use on only a small percentage of the CD’s 10 tracks. It should also be noted that the trumpet’s voice is used in a subtle supporting role. I dropped my prejudices and, after a moment to digest the blend found myself smiling in approval and even wishing for further inclusion of the “non-kosher” sound throughout the disc!

As for the rest of the instrumentation, a more traditional mixture of guitars, bass, drums, mandolin, fiddle, tin whistle and banjo are shared by the six members of the band. Vocals ring in strong, confident and comfortable somewhere between Flogging Molly’s Dave King and The Skels’ Chris Fried and compete only with the fiddle for the front pole-position in The Righs’ signature sound.

The strongest element in ‘The Rivers Run Deep’, however, is the songs. After I stopped scrutinizing and started simply listening, I noticed them. Really well-written songs. Very catchy melody lines with intelligent and engaging lyrics within the interesting arrangements.

So, in a final attempt to define the sounds on this CD, let me just say that The Righs’ debut release, ‘The Rivers Run Deep’ is an enthusiastic Celtic folk-punk blend seasoned with sea-spray, barn-floor sawdust, Tolkien-esque halfling toe-tapping, and a pinch of brass. If this doesn’t sound like your type of music, just remember, it wasn’t mine. Then, it was. Now, despite the seemingly unrelated influences at work, (or, perhaps, because of them,) I not only enjoy this CD, but I find myself anxiously looking forward for future releases!

2008

Review by Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel

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