Send "Dropkick Murphys " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Music |
 Boston Celtic punk outfit, Dropkick Murphys delivers an entertaining, celebratory eulogy for, imaginary character, Cornelius Larkin on their latest. The concept album finds Larkin having passed away, looking back at his life as an Irish immigrant and Korean War veteran from the other side. Things open with the murderous, vengeful "Hang 'Em High", finding growling guitars and a blood-thirsty mob shouting, "An honorable death for you would be too nice / I'd like to savor the moment and kill you twice". The album quickly moves to Larkin dreaming up his funeral on the exuberant "Going Out In Style", as he longs to apologize to those he wronged, and buy his friends one last drink, before the song jumps the rails and spirals, increasingly faster, toward the conclusion. The album appropriately jumps between old world Irish folk and their punk infused take on it. The stomping hook and accordion and shaggy guitar of kicked-up, blue collar "The Hardest Mile", charming, tin whistle infused ode to stubborn youth "Cruel" and sparkling, melodic "Broken Hymns" stand out among the more traditional fare. The timely "Take 'Em Down" rides the banjo and harmonica flavored jangle for a lively pro-union romp, with the band recently dedicating the tune to Wisconsin Democrats protesting to keep collective bargaining rights for unions. The traditional folk slant gives the shouted hook a spirited, protest-ready vibe, "We've got to take the bastards down, let them know / We've got to smash them to the ground, let them know". Gritted-teeth vocals and moaning bagpipes drive aging "Climbing A Chair To Bed", with the flailing guitars and rapid-fire beat of party-loving "Sunday Hardcore Matinee" deliver on the more rock side of the equation. Part classic rock n roll, part snarled-lip punk, "Deeds Not Words" is an angry, bagpipe infused rocker looking for a fight, "Where you gonna run to / Where you gonna hide / You're running for the door now / No one's getting out alive". The shuffling riffs, breezy mandolin and blowing whistle of "Memorial Day" and the bristling acoustic and intertwined electric guitars of love struck standard "Peg O' My Heart", featuring a fantastic guest appearance from Bruce Springsteen, find the two songs walking a fine line between the two worlds....full text |
| Sputnikmusic |
| Given that it’s so sizeable and dedicated, it really didn’t come as much of a surprise when the title of 'Going Out In Style' caused such concern among the Dropkick Murphys following. Having amassed during a fifteen year spell of exhilarating releases and raucous live shows, the fans were understandably aghast at the sheer prospect of the band calling it quits when arguably at the peak of it’s powers. Sure, previous record 'The Meanest Of Times' represented a slight misstep following years of constant improvement culminating in modern punk classics 'Blackout' and 'The Warrior’s Code,' but it was still a rock solid effort from a band you felt had plenty to left to give to the Celtic punk scene they are the undisputed front runners of. As further details emerged, though, it became clear that the title was a reference to a musical concept within the record rather than to disbandenment. The inevitable sighs of relief followed, but once that gave way the whispers of excitement were louder than per usual for a new album, since the faithful knew that Boston’s finest were embarking on new ground. You’d be hard pressed to find a single apprehensive voice, though, as the Dropkick Murphys are a band who have gained the total trust of their following, so much so that virtually no one has been left with any doubt that they can indeed pull off the concept with a degree of aplomb, and predictably, such premeditations turn out to be bang on target. With most concept records, the most obvious stylistic shift is in the lyrics, and that’s very much the case here. Songs concerning Irish immigrants to America are nothing new for the band, but this record explores the theme with a greater focus, following the journey of a fictional character, Cornelius Larkin, whose trials and tribulations are based loosely around band members’ own collective experiences. It’s this sense of personal experience which helps the songs here escape the pretentiousness so may other bands fall victim to, and adds genuine heart to what are already hugely accomplished compositions. Another change which has come about to tie-in with the concept is vocally, where Ken Casey largely takes the reigns, leaving usual leader Al Barr in the backseat. This was clearly a deliberate ploy scene as Casey will find the subject matter far more relatable than Barr, who is the only member not of Irish descent, and although his scintillating snarl has become one of the band’s distinctive features, its relegation here proves to be a case of tasteful judgment. Unsurprisingly, this record also turns out to be their most traditionally influenced to date, and although the buzz of guitars still characterises their sound it is often balanced out by the sound of fiddles, flutes and the like on many of the albums songs. Thankfully, though, the concept hasn’t brought about any overwhelming change in the band’s sound. They’ve always favoured comfortable evolution over rapid reinvention, and this sensible approach means that while this record is a fresh experience, it still maintains a reassuring sense of familiarity. Everything we have come to want and expect from a Dropkick Murphys album is here, be it the rousing bagpipes, the drunken singalongs or simply the joyous fun they have come to convey so well, it’s all here in bucket loads. Perhaps what is most pleasing about this record, however, is that the band has seemingly learnt from it’s few past mistakes. 'The Meanest Of Times,' though a thoroughly enjoyable listen, could also become a tiresome one at times, with it’s sheer in-your-face intensity being largely responsible for this problem. Indeed it wasn’t until the tenth track that they decided to slow the tempo down, and even then 'Fairmount Hill' was a brooding beast which didn’t exactly equate to a breather. Here, though, they only wait until four songs in before they drop 'Cruel,' which also happens to be one of the best mid-tempo pieces they’ve yet come up with. Another slower moment comes in the shape of 'Broken Hymns,' which while not exactly a progressive epic is one of the most ambitious songs they have yet put their name to. It’s probably the best example of the concept paying off, as it’s hard to perceive them getting away such a track on any of their previous releases....full text |
| Popmatters |
| If you like Dropkick Murphys, you’re going to like Going Out in Style. Everything that you’ve grown to know and love over the years from the Celtic punk band is present on this latest installment – there are bagpipes, mandolins, banjos, accordions, tin whistles, and all the gang vocals you could pack into one album. No, you won’t find anything particularly new or groundbreaking on Going Out in Style, but you will find a band who has been continually honing in on their own sound over the course of the past decade-and-a-half and sounds as comfortable and well-rounded in their own element as anyone else in the punk scene. The first thing you need to know about Going Out in Style is that it is a concept album. The fictional character Cornelius Larkin is just the kind of man you would expect to find on a Dropkick Murphys release: a rough-around-the-edges working-class Irish immigrant who predictably can hold his liquor and knows his way around a good old fashioned brawl. Over the course of the album, we hear stories of his days at war, his search for love, and the good times he’s spent with his family and friends. The stories feel so real and honest, you’d almost think that Cornelius is an actual buddy of the band – they even went so far as to include an obituary in the linear notes of the album. It’s clear that this is more than just a collection of songs to Dropkick Murphys; it feels much closer to being their own stories and the stories of their families. The album starts off with a bang in the form of “Hang ‘Em High”, an ode to war in which Cornelius remembers the struggles of the battlefield. You can almost see the dirt on his unshaven face and the weapon clutched in his rough, chapped hands as the band chants “We waited together for the cowards to come / Outgunned and outnumbered but we wouldn’t run / No mercy, no quarter, they’ll pay for their sins / Now lower the cannons, the battle begins!” Although the subject matter repeats itself from time to time, the flow of the album is mostly seamless as the band transitions through barn burners such as “Memorial Day” and “Sunday Hardcore Matinee” to softer songs like “Broken Hymns” and “1953”....full text |
Dropkick Murphys lyrics
|
| ||||||||||
