Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies

Flogging Molly are an American Celtic-punk band who formed in 1995. Drunken Lullabies is their second album, which was released in 2001.

If you're here for rousing verses, a slight sense of chaos and an uplifting singalong chorus, then What's Left of the Flag delivers in spades. May The Living Be Dead In Our Wake is much of the same goodness, however the chorus doesn't hit quite the same heights. On the plus side, the tin whistle and banjo provide a nice extra dimension. 

Going back to the start, Drunken Lullabies features all of the aforementioned attributes, plus a fantastic chord progression as the shot of Jameson in one's Guinness (sorry, I couldn't resist an Irish cliche at some point in this post...). The result is simply Celtic-punk perfection.

Similar but different are The Kilburn High Road and The Rare Ould Times, drawing more on a chaotic sea-shanty feel. This slight shift helps with the variety of the album and brings its own infectious energy. The instrumental song Swagger is also a fine example of this energy. Finally, the highlight of this grouping is Cruel Mistress, which transports me to a rowdy tavern-glass swinging atmosphere. In particular, the simple chorus works a treat. There's also somehow a 'deconstructed carnival' feel to Cruel Mistress, reminding me of The Dresden Dolls or The Incredible Dead Goons.

If I Ever Leave This World Alive is a ballad featuring an endearingly simple beginning. The song subtly builds through guitars (and spoons...) and drums to a nice crescendo. Later in the album, Death Valley Queen isn't particularly memorable in its own right, but works well as a change-of-pace at its point in proceedings.

Speaking of variety, the riff-based groove of Another Bag of Bricks is toe-tappingly addictive. It's AC/DC like with a mandolin, but not an ounce less swagger and attitude.

The Sun Never Shines on Closed Doors kicks off with a wonderfully understated intro, reminding me of The Eels. And although the scale gently builds with extra layers as the song progresses, the beauty is that the simplicity of the banjo and vocals remains the highlight throughout.

Favourite songs

Drunken Lullabies, What's Left of the Flag, If I Ever Leave This World Alive, Swagger, Cruel Mistress, Another Bag of Bricks, The Rare Ould Times, The Sun Never Shines on Closed Doors

Final thoughts

Easy recipe for instant success: take the stylings of a Celtic folk song and add the deafening fury of a punk-rock band. Such a solid foundation can easily lead to complacence and monotony, but Flogging Molly have a big bag of tricks to make this a wonderful experience from start to finish.