I am a HUGE Dropkick Murphys fan. It all started with when I was in the Air Force and I was in the middle of a deployment that a fellow buddy of mine played “Sing Loud, Sing Proud” in a beat-up portable CD player we had hooked up to a tape adapter in the truck we were driving around the base while having the A/C on full blast as the humid temperatures reached in the High 90’s/low 100’s. After hearing songs like “For Boston” and “Which Side Are You On?,” I became hooked. It wasn’t until a year later that I saw them at Warped Tour in Charlotte, NC, that they became one of my favorite punk bands next to Descendants and Suicidal Tendencies.
Their last two albums, The Warriors Code and The Meanest of Times, have been nothing but stellar. Although, The Warriors Code which was awesome, could get tiresome after a few listens. Although, after “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” was featured in the Academy Award winning film “The Departed” things took off for the band.
Four years and a lineup change later, the Murphys are back with Going Out in Style the second release on their Born and Bred Records label. It is a concept album that takes the band’s own personal experiences and family folklore and rolls them into the story of a fictional character named Cornelius Larkin.
The album starts off with “Hang ‘em High!,” the typical start off track off of any DKM album to get you pumped for the record as what Sing Loud, Sing Proud had with “For Boston” and The Warriors Code had with “Your Spirit’s Alive.” Another standout track would be none other than the title track, “Going Out in Style,” which features a couple surprise guests, such as Fat Mike from NOFX, Chris Cheney of The Living End and comedian Lenny Clark. This makes a great song to drink to, especially the near St. Patrick’s day release. On some occasions it can be on the level with “Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced,” but much more fast paced and hardcore. Other stand out tracks include, “Peg O’ My Heart” Featuring The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, “Memorial Day” which has more of the Celtic sound that DKM is known to produce on top of the hardcore Irish-punk sound they are famous for. And my personal favorite, “Deeds Not Words’ which starts out with a revile of drum beats and a haunting sound of the old bagpipes that sounds like a policeman’s funeral, but then jumps into a brash hardcore punk song that gets pumped up like that of fans at a Boston Red Sox game.
Overall, this album doesn’t disappoint in any aspect. Even with a lineup change, DKM never disappoints and this album is proof of just that. The band still has the magic that makes them the fan favorites they are today. In areas where The Warriors Code may have disappointed some fans, this album makes up for it. Oh and by the way- if you haven’t seen these guys live, do me a favor; next time they are playing in town near you, GO SEE THEM!!!
Track listing:
01. Hang ‘Em High (3:59)
02. Going Out In Style (4:08)
03. The Hardest Mile (3:26)
04. Cruel (4:21)
05. Memorial Day (2:59)
06. Climbing A Chair To Bed (2:59)
07. Broken Hymns (5:03)
08. Deeds Not Words (3:41)
09. Take ‘Em down (2:11)
10. Sunday Hardcore Matinee (2:43)
11. 1953 (4:14)
12. Peg O’ My Heart (2:20)
13. The Irish Rover (3:39)
