The Dropkick Murphys dance — or rather, thrash — the line between defiance and tradition, punk and century-old roots. They’re like a raucous crossbreed between The Ramones and your inebriated Irish uncle who, in bouts of nostalgia, bellows his old country ballads.
The band, oft-compared to Celtic punk classics The Pogues, truly embraces this duality on their new album, “The Meanest of Times.” It’s The Clash’s fast-moving rock with a touch of bagpipe, contemporary political commentary with a side of old folk legend. As put in the album’s fourth song, it’s “yesterday’s values living in tomorrow’s industry.”
Songs move from “Famous for Nothing,” a celebration of juvenile angst and energy, to “Fairmont Hill,” a dramatic guitar-laced Celtic ballad.
The album does blend together a bit, and the punk craze hasn’t been the same since, say, 1985. There isn’t much originality in the band’s layered punk rock melodies or lyrics, and none of the songs are epic. The Murphys might be stuck in the past, but the next time you’re going bar crawling or are heading off to a Red Sox game, pop this album in and you’ll be ready to throw back a pint. (Born & Bred Records)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 23, 2007. Read the original PDF.