Dropkick Murphy's: Going Out in Style (2011)

I'm not exactly sure at what point the Dropkick Murphy's became a fairly mainstream band (probably sometime around 2003's Blackout) but they've been one for a while. It doesn't take much work to hear their high energy celtic punk rock about working class citizens (while charging $30 for tickets now?) blaring out of every half assed Irish bar in your town. This ultimately means the chances of some drunk dude who thinks punk rock is all about getting fucked up and fighting will look your way have gone up about about a million percent since then. That's not the fault of the DKM's since people have been misinterpreting music for as long as music has existed but it does put a damper on a band I used to love.

It's with that in mind that I was not overly excited about listening to the Murphy's new album, Going out in Style. I knew that it would sound almost exactly like the last few albums and contain almost the exact same subject matter. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed Going Out in Style the first time through. Musically the band hasn't expanded all that much but they are so very good at what they do, musical expansion would probably be disastrous anyway. I'll take the loud guitars, gang vocals and a healthy dose of bagpipes and mandolin over some new artistic statement any day. Add in some great guest vocalists (Bruce Springsteen, Fat Mike, Chris Cheney from The Living End and actor Lenny Clarke) and Going Out in style would appear to be another solid if expected effort from the band.

If the first listen leaves a good impression, then the album only grows stronger with repeated listens. You see Going Out in Style is a concept album about fictional immigrant Cornelius Larkin and his story adds more depth to Going Out in Style than any previous DKM album. The band has always told personal stories of immigrants and their lives but those stories never been as focused as they are here. The emotional depth of Going Out in Style makes it more than just a normal DKM album. It's a highly recommended album specifically for previous fans of the band but also for anyone looking for some strong storytelling to subdue the drunk wanna-be tough guy who's staring you down at the pub.

Rating: 4

Track Listing:

1. "Hang 'Em High" (3:59)
2. "Going Out in Style" (4:09)
3. "The Hardest Mile" (3:26)
4. "Cruel" (4:22)
5. "Memorial Day" (2:59)
6. "Climbing a Chair to a Bed" (3:00)
7. "Broken Hymns" (5:03)
8. "Deeds Not Words" (3:41)
9. "Take 'Em Down" (2:11)
10. "Sunday Hardcore Matinee" (2:43)
11. "1953" (4:14)
12. "Peg O' My Heart" (2:21)
13. "The Irish Rover" (3:39)