“God Willing” is a straightforward break-up song, and when Casey wails, “It’s the last time I’ll put my arms around you, the last time I’ll look in your eyes”, it is one of the most believable moments on the album. The song also featured some fantastic guitar work, substituting a surf riff for the power chords that populate the bulk of the album. “Surrender” is the best track here, with a chorus that ropes you into singing along, instead of shouting a quick blue collar tagline. There’s plenty of Catholic guilt and hell raising to be found in these songs, and it is in the childhood stories of booze and basketball, of loyal friends and minimum wage, that the band is at their peak. It also sets the stage for a disk full of romantic memory for a past often far from romantic. Opener “Famous for Nothing” is typically anthemic, but with an energy that’s been lacking from the past two albums. Perhaps they were energized by the response to “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”, their inclusion on The Departed soundtrack, because The Meanest of Times has some of the best songs the band has done in the Al Barr era. But with every release the songs got a little more derivative, a little more self-imitating, and with the exception of a few great songs (“Bastards on Parade” and “A Dirty Glass” in particular) everything started to meld together. When original singer Mike McColgan left the band and Al Barr took his place, remaining band leader Ken Casey did his best to steer the ship. Since their fantastic first album, Do or Die, the Dropkicks have been in a slow but steady decline. But instead of fading out, they’re back with The Meanest of Times, and it is at least a bit of a rebound. The Dropkick Murphys were at their end days, or so it seemed. The tune also signaled a low point for the band, as it was followed by The Warrior’s Code, the band’s weakest album to date. The song is irritating all on its own, but that it was jammed down anyone’s throat in jamming range made it that much worse. Chief among these missteps is “Tessie”, used in the awful Fever Pitch film and as an anthem for the 2004 Boston Red Sox. And they’ve tested that bulletproof theory in recent years, with a handful of decisions that could only alienate fans and cast them as another bunch of media whores.
While the Dropkick Murphys’ following could be more in flux nationally, their reputation in New England is pretty much bulletproof.
0 kommentar(er)
