Dropkick Murphys - Live on St. Patrick's Day

Dropkick Murphys are a Celtic punk band who formed in 1996. This is their fourth album (and first live album), which was released in 2002, one year after Sing Loud Sing Proud.

Before we jump into the 26 songs(!) herein, I should note that a common theme is that I can't understand the damn lyrics. Maybe it's the noisy nature of a live recording, and it does seem worse when the lead vocals are sung as a duet. But I have a theory: sibilants, and the lack thereof. The shouted lyrics probably reduces them to start with, but also I think that this recording is missing the high-pitch vocal sounds. Unfortunately, this means that many of the songs are non-starters for me, for example Boys on the Docks, Road of the Righteous, Rocky Road to Dublin and Finnegan's Wake.

While I'm moaning, For Boston, Curse of a Fallen Soul and A Few Good Men seems like wall-of-noise thrashes without any structure, although I do like the half-time chorus of the latter. Adding a mandolin (Gang's All Here) or bagpipes (Spicy McHaggis' Jig) is a nice touch, but can't single-handedly carry the song. The Gauntlet reminds me a lot of the band The Dwarves, but verses are too blurry (beer goggles perhaps?) to speak to me.

Barroom Hero is similar to the wall-of-noise thrashes in many ways, yet somehow this tavern shanty perfectly hits the spot for me. Such is the mysterious subtlety of the punk-rock artform, I guess! It's a similar story for Bloody Pig Pile, which also features an uplifting sing-along chorus. Similarly, Which Side Are You On has a great bounciness and an addictive chorus (I just wish they'd let the chorus fully reach its potential within the song, by using a double-length version of it, as hinted at by the outro)

Upstarts & Broken Hearts is the first example of a more involved song structure than the earlier thrashes, greatly increasing my enjoyment. Also, the pre-chorus is a highlight. 

The bagpipes and whistle in the background of Heroes from Our Past adds a nice layer, but unfortunately it's another song let down my an inability to decypher what on earth they're shouting about. On the slower side, the addition of a whistle for the main melody of Wild Rover works a treat, adding an airiness and sitting beautifully above the vocals.

The Torch is probably a beautiful experience live, but it doesn't translate to my living room unfortunately. Nutty (Bruin's Theme), however, is a brilliant and unexpected interlude in the form of a saccharine TV series theme-song style. Fortunate Son is a brilliant raucous cover, brings a great working-class feel to the tale. And the main riff of Dirty Water reminds me of the theme from Sesame Street! Mixed in with some George Thorogood vibes, it all adds up to a great song in my book.

Saving the best until last, Amazing Grace is simply incredible- both as the original hymn and when pumped full of frenetic punk-rock energy. I bought the album specifically for this song, and it is even better than I could have imagined. There's also a great personal touch in the intro, with the singer's elderly grandparents being in attendance at this punk-rock gig. 

Favourite songs

Upstarts & Broken Hearts, Which Side Are You On, Wild Rover, Fortunate Son, Amazing Grace (times infinity!), Barroom Hero, Dirty Water, Bloody Pig Pile

Final thoughts

This album brilliantly portrays the live atmosphere, has very touching liner notes and the banter between songs adds to the sense of occasion... but many songs rely heavily on the storytelling, and I can't understand the lyrics. They could be the most beautiful expression of the human condition we've ever witnessed, for all I know. There are definitely many highlights of this album, but it's also quite a frustrating experience.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Murder of the Universe

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are an Australian psychedelic rock band who formed in 2010. This is their tenth album (of seemingly thousands of albums...), which was released in 2017, the same year as Flying Microtonal Banana.

Tale of the Altered Beast kicks off with a great bouncing energy and manic riff... but it soon wears out its welcome for me. Also I find the narration throughout the album, which considers the perils of disaffected monsters and cyborgs (or some such bollocks), to be quite grating. 

The Lord of Lightening vs Balrog brings a welcome slowing of the pace, which is much easier to get into the groove of. Until it jumps back to full speed, dammit! The lessen here is probably that prog-rock isn't really for me, even when it's on speed like this. Han-Tyumi and the Murder of the Universe backs up this theory, with the raucous riff-rock of the chapters Digital Black and Vomit Coffin being the highlight of this album for me, although unfortunately the latter includes a lot of the non-sensical spoken word stuff.

Favourite songs

Digital Black

Final thoughts

Maybe I didn't give this album enough time to permeate into my soul. Or maybe this style is just not for me.

Millencolin - SOS

Millencolin are a Swedish pop-punk band who formed in 1992. This is their ninth album, which was released in 2019, four years after True Brew.

The opening track SOS kicks off with solid verses, good progression through the pre-chorus and chorus, and then the nice novelty of the choir. But the lyrics let the song down, being unmemorable and strangely negative for Millencolin. How about For Yesterday then? Similar story, with riff-rock elements as good as anything on Home From Home, but the despondent lyrics are a downer.

Nothing is still a sad tale, but there's a much greater sense of empathy rather than negativity, so I quite dig it. Musically it ticks all the boxes too; maybe a metronome wouldn't show that it's actually much faster, but the thrashy opening establishes a great sense of energy that remains throughout the song.

The chorus of Sour Days makes it a bit of a pop ditty, with the drumming being a highlight (especially the double-tap section). My enjoyment of the song is for quite a silly reason: clearly the bridge with lines like "first time will taste like shampoo" reveals that this is a song about kombucha!

The rest of the album goes back to my earlier whingeing about the negative lyrics. Maybe I've got this bee in my bonnet thanks to the Armageddon-themed cover art, but is all just seems so negative. Which is a real shame, since Millencolin have got the whole pop-punk style down to a polished artform, so the instrumentals are all great. Yanny & Laurel is too pessimistic, Do You Want War is very judgemental, Trumpets & Poutine presents a bleak outlook for humanity, and the catchy chorus of Cavemans Land is ruined by the judgemental lyrics. Often when writing these reviews, I'm struggling to second-guess why a particular song is musical bliss for me but something else 99% similar fails to register at all. But in this case, it's very simple, the lyrics are a real downer.

Finally, Dramatic Planet kicks off with a pretty generic verse, which then builds up nicely... into... a vintage uplifting and singalong chorus magic. Ahhh, vintage Millencolin!

Favourite Songs

Nothing, Sour Days, Dramatic Planet

 

I Diggit?

For me, Millencolin is usually uplifting therapy session with a punk-rock backing track. So this album is not for me.

Dropkick Murphys - The Warrior's Code

Dropkick Murphys are a Celtic punk band who formed in 1996. This is their fifth album which was released in 2005, two years after Blackout.

Your Spirit's Alive opens proceedings with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer (possibly to weed out the faint-hearted?). In my book, it's not so much a song as an extended introduction to the album. Later on, Citizen C.I.A uses much the same style, and both are not really my cup of tea.

Things improve greatly with the quality riff (does one call it a "riff" on a bagpipe?!) in The Warrior's Code. I reckon it's a solid punk-rock effort with some nice hints of Irish influence. Take It and Run is quite similar and also highly enjoyable.

Cranking up the Celtic influence is Captain Kelly's Kitchen, which brings vivid images of pint-swinging in taverns while recounting (probably highly exaggerated) nautical shenanigans. It's a perfect punk-rock twist on the traditional drinking song.

Sunshine Highway strikes me as Millencolin-with-bagpipes-and-pan-flutes, mostly thanks to the wonderfully uplifting lyrics and a very catchy chorus. However it doesn't have a lot of musical ideas to sustain the song's length, so by the 3 minute mark its starts feeling like things are dragging out. Also exposing the band's gentler side is Wicked Sensitive Crew, where the unusual mixture of a punk-rock ballad style and bagpipes works a treat. It also has a wonderfully catchy chorus.

The Burden started off as a big "meh" from me, with the chorus being the lone highlight. But then it really shifts up a gear towards the end with a nice bridge and final verse, with the final chorus being the icing on the cake.

Last Letter Home also gets mixed thoughts from me. On the plus side is a great opening and the song is part of a wonderful event where the band performed at the funeral of a fan who was killed serving in the army. Unfortunately, I find the verses too thrashy to really get into it.

For the first listen of The Green Fields of France, I was expecting the band to break out into raucous punk-rock at any given moment. But thankfully the band restrained themselves, resulting in a beautifully heartfelt ballad (which also gives some nice contrast to the album). But the opposite is true for The Auld Triangle, where the beautiful piano and flute opening gets overrun by a punk-rock band at full noise. And the result is utterly fantastic. There's something about the chorus - possibly the bagpipes - that makes this probably my favourite song of the album.

I'm Shipping Up to Boston features a riff for the ages, courtesy of the woodwind and strings. It's the star of the show, and the rest of the rock band is merely filling out the sound in the background. Superlative.

Finally, Tessie. Wow. It's a brilliant synergy of a traditional drinking song meets modern rock song. The tale might be only about a sporting team mascot (or theme song), but the deep sense of comraderie still shines through. The honky-tonk piano and bagpipes fit in perfectly, and the sing-a-long chorus is perfectly executed. How I wish that my own sports team had such a brilliant theme song.

Audio quality?

Unfortunately the cymbals get completely lost in the mix. Aside from this, the album sounds great, thanks to crunchy guitars, powerful vocals and good distinction between instruments.

Favourite songs

The Warrior's Code, Captain Kelly's Kitchen, Wicked Sensitive Crew, The Green Fields of France, Take It and Run, I'm Shipping Up to Boston, The Auld Triangle, Tessie

I diggit?

On top of all the individual highlights, the overall impression I get from this album is a family-like dedication to one another. And as strange as it may seem, somehow owning this CD gives me a wonderful sense of being part of that family.

Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory

This is the smash hit second album from britpop band Oasis. It was released in 1995, one year after Definitely Maybe.

Proceedings certainly kick off in a rollocking manner with Hello. The pre-chorus and chorus are very pop-friendly, but it all works well.

At the time of this album, the British press subjected us all to endless gushing comparisons between Oasis and The Beatles. However, Roll With It shows that they were true. Although the only engaging musical hook of the song for me is the line "you've gotta roll with it", everything else just sits around it nicely without leaving a lasting impression. Later in the album, Hey Now is similar but somehow doesn't quite hit the same heights. I still dig the style though, and the unusual sparse chorus is a nice twist.

For many years, I never wanted to hear Wonderwall again. But the fatigue has now worn off and I can again appreciate this rock ballad for the timeless classic that it is. Highlights include the opening guitar melody, the beautiful poetry of the lyrics and the (nicely retrained) use of strings to add an extra dimension to the sound.

Writing a pop hit is easy, all it takes is a catchy chorus and an chord progression thrown in somewhere. I know this is true, because I'm smitten for Don't Look Back in Anger. The five minutes always melts away in gentle bliss, and that chorus never fails to hit the spot. Cast No Shadow is very similar and therefore also brilliant. It scores a minor demerit for some twee backing vocals, but overall it's a nicely lingering lullaby which somehow also manages to have a real sense of progression through the song.

Some Might Say has wonderfully flowing verses which I find very catchy. But the chorus is a complete dog's breakfast, very nearly killing the buzz of a wonderful song.

Morning Glory is ridiculously overblown waffle involving helicopters, a thousand guitar overdubs and incomprehensible lyrics. I love it. It's like senseless excess in a musical form. And although fade-outs are usually my least favourite way to end a song, but here I can't imagine any other way to halt the epic-ness.

Champagne Supernova reminds me very much of Urban Hymns from The Verve. It isn't one of my favourite songs here, nonetheless it has me toe-tapping along and is a fine way to finish off this experience.

Audio quality?

Not good, and surprisingly varied between songs (which makes it hard to dial down the worst flaws using an EQ). But the consistent traits are vocals too loud which renders the instruments a jumbled mess in the background, loads of distortion and clipping, and drums which sound like they're halfway down the hallway. On the bright side, the tambourine and egg-shaker add a nice sense of lightness at times.

Favourite songs

Hello, Roll With It, Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger, Some Might Say, Cast No Shadow, Morning Glory

I diggit?

When Oasis are at their best like this, time just melts away; next thing I know it's almost four minutes later and I've been thoroughly enjoying the song. So that would be an unexpected "yes".

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

Californication is the seventh album from funk-rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was released in 1999, four years after One Hot Minute.

Around the World sure is a bombastic way to kick things off. Personally I find the gentle, singalong chorus to be an awkward fit for the heavy rock-funk groove of the rest of the song. But I really enjoy said rock-funk groove, so it's mostly good times here. And the outtro is headbanging trance-like goodness.

There's an incessant and driving groove that keeps pushing Parallel Universe along, thanks to some brilliant work from the guitar and bass. It reminds me a bit like Showbiz-era Muse and builds up to the chorus brilliantly. This album cops a lot of flack for its recording quality, but somehow the mono-ness works well here, somehow like a garage band thrashing away as a distant ball of focussed energy. Later on, This Velvet Glove follows a similar style, but fails to capture the magic.

Scar Tissue? No, sorry. I've just heard it too many times.

However, I don't think I could ever tire of the timeless guitar and vocal melodies in Otherside. Somehow it is both a highly polished pop song and a wonderfully understated ballad. Then the bridge is pretty weird... excellent! Capped off by a final triumphant chorus, this is pop perfection.

Californication follows a similar recipe, resulting in another wonderful pop-rock ballad. Highlights for me are the sense of musical progression through the song and wonderful lyrics such as "Space may be the final frontier, but it's made in a Hollywood basement".

Get on Top doesn't speak to me at all, feeling too staccato. Or perhaps I just can't handle the heavy funk... But on the other hand, add excessive cheese and I'm all over it. Exhibit A is I Like Dirt, complete with tongue-in-cheek lyrics, I love it. (perhaps the chorus is a precursor to Anchorman's "I love lamp"...) And Purple Stain is funk perfection with a brilliant chorus. I have no idea what's going on with the lyrics, but I still really dig them.

Is there any overall narrative to the lyrics of Easily? Even if not, each of the individual images is vivid and enjoyable in its own right. And it's backed by a solid and catchy groove throughout, with the half-time breakdown being an unusual treat. One minor gripe is that while the ending does serve its purpose, it seems a bit drawn-out.

Emit Remmus shows that psychedelic-rock isn't my cup of tea. I find it enjoyable at the time, but not something I'd look forward to. But then Savior shoots that theory to pieces with brilliant cigarette lighter-waving antics! Its contrasting section is totally weird and should stand out like a sore thumb, but somehow it fits in perfectly.

Road Trippin' offers us a beautiful ballad as a gentle landing back to reality. Its genius is the simple yet engaging instrumentals, which perfectly complement poetry like "Your smiling eyes are just a mirror for the sun". Road Trippin' is quite out of character for the band, but I think this is one of their best songs.

Favourite songs

Around the World, Parallel Universe, Otherside, Californication, I Like Dirt, Savior, Purple Stain, Road Trippin'

 

I diggit?

I don't actually remember why I bought this album, and had quite low expectations as I loaded it into the CD player. So it was a wonderful surprise to discover that Californication thoroughly deserves its reputation as a classic album.

Pnau - Changa

This is the fifth album from electronica band Pnau. It was released in 2017, five years after Good Morning to the Night.

Things start off well with Save Disco... initially. The thic bass and trance-like groove present a snappy and engaging experience. However there isn't much progression throughout the song, so by the end I feel that it has outstayed its welcome.

Chameleon is inoffensive and I'd really enjoy it as part of a club/bar atmosphere. If it sounds like damning it with faint praise, yes unfortunately it doesn't hold my interest for active listening.

Skipping ahead to the largely unintelligible madness that is Changa, I'm a huge fan. It's very catchy and wonderfully cheesy. I could only take Changa in limited doses, but on those occasions it's a barrel of joy.

In My Head brings a nice change-of-pace to proceedings. I can't put my finger on why, but I really enjoy it. Then Into the Sky brings some Moby influences to the album. Again, I'm not sure why, but it doesn't appeal to me.

For many other songs, I'd written down various nitpicky attempts to justify why it doesn't appeal, but I guess that in the end it's just a style I'm not really into.

However, there's one last treat in store with Changes. Like a cowbell or offbeat guitar, I reckon a children's choir is always a recipe for success. Changes makes great use of it to round out the experience in a wonderfully understated manner.

 

Favourite songs

Changa, In My Head, Changes

 

I diggit?

It's possible I haven't given this album enough listens to properly appreciate it. On the other hand, maybe it'd be just forcing the issue on something that's just not my cup of tea.

Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You

This is the second studio album from pop artist Lily Allen. It was released in 2009, three years after Alright Still.

So if I were Ms Allen's record company executive just prior to this album being released, the conversation would have gone something like this: "Lily, I think you're a wonderful person (100% true) and these songs clearly come straight from the heart (ditto). But they're not quite polished enough, they need more work before we can release this".

Or perhaps it's just that the Atomic Kitten-esque domesticated style of much of this album is too far out of my comfort zone. Most songs have moments of greatness, but often it's a catchy chorus that's let down by dud verses (The Fear, Who'd Have Known) or vice-versa (Everyone's At It, 22, Never Gonna Happen).

However, it all comes together perfectly for Not Fair, with the unusual spaghetti-western flavouring that works a treat. To me, it's a return to everything that made her debut album brilliant: innocent-sounding catchy pop that is wonderfully contrasted by biting lyrics.

On a similar note, F*ck You unleashes a torrent of bitter, hateful lyrics... ahh, perfect! Outside of the chorus, lyrics are actually quite a well articulated argument against intolerance. But of course the wonderfully immature chorus is the highlight, with the absurd profanity being perfectly complemented by catchy sugar-pop being cranked up to eleven. It's like Killing in the Name Of inside a bubblegum-pop trojan horse...

 

Favourite songs

Not Fair, F*ck You

 

I diggit?

No, sorry.

Devin Townsend - Empath

This is the tenth studio album by prog-metal artist Devin Townsend. It was released in 2019, five years after Z²: Dark Matters.

I tried. I really did... perhaps too hard, actually. But as an album of about 60 complex and interlinked songs (don't be fooled by a track list that only says 15!), it's just too far outside my comfort zone. There's passages when I'm really getting into it, but the overall feeling for me is that of whiplash. My personal highlights (below) are just the dumbed-down parts, which is at odds with the overall purpose of the album.

The opener Castaway brilliantly vivid soundscape of a peaceful morning at the beach. I think the choir is wonderful, and it blends into the following song nicely.

Spirits Will Collide is such dumb headbanging stadium power-ballad, and I love it. (Please check out the video clip... elephants playing timpani drums!) Like Millencolin at their best, it's uplifting motivational-poster rock, for example the lyric "don't you forget that you are loved". I'm writing this on the day that Meat Loaf's death was announced, and Mr Loaf would surely approve of such uplifting and overblown ridiculousness 

Genesis, Evermore, Sprite, Borderlands, There be Monsters and Here Comes the Sun have moments that I enjoy, but often the roller-coaster is just too intense for me. Why has a much smoother flow and although I don't have a clue what's going on, it sure sounds grandiose. The powerful finale is a particular highlight.

Lastly, Adrift gets a gold star for being wonderfully simple... and gentle.

Audio quality rant

Like everything about this album, there's lots going on with how it sounds.  The character is quite synthesised and the high-pitched sounds can be harsh, but there's no doubting that the instruments have great clarity and separation, while also being layered brilliantly.

Favourite songs

Castaway, Spirits Will Collide, Why, Adrift

Bad Religion - Christmas Songs

This is punk-rock band Bad Religion's 17th(!!) album. It was released in 2013, three years after The Dissent of Man. 

As a punk-rock band named "Bad Religion" doing an album of Christmas carols, we best not take things too seriously. So here's a quick rundown of my favourites.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing: Gotta love the pompous choir intro, for maximum contrast when the rock band kicks in. Hearing "hail the incarnate deity" being belted out during a punk-rock song has absurd appeal.

O Come All Ye Faithful: The roughness of the gravelly vocals is a highlight. Also I really enjoy how it step it up another gear after the first chorus, thanks to the swirling guitars and backing vocals.

White Christmas: Lighthearted Ramones-esque pop-punk works a treat here.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: An excellent punk-rock song, even without the novelty of the lyrics. Like O Come All Ye Faithful, the extra size added after the first chorus is wonderful.

Angels We Have Heard on High: Wonderful chorus.

American Jesus: What a brilliant punk-rock song (embarrassingly, I thought it was from the musical Jesus Chris Superstar...). The build-up of the bridge is utterly inspiring.

Audio quality rant

It is both very enjoyable yet also nothing particularly special. It is simply a case of a clean sound (aside from the occasional clipping of the floor-tom), punchy drums, a bass guitar laying solid foundations, spacious guitars, intelligible lead vocals and occasionally expanding the sound with background vocals. But by just getting all these basic correct, the result is a very enjoyable experience.

 

I diggit?

This album was probably created as a piss-take... but I really enjoy it as an alternate expression of traditional carols.