Picked up this album the other day because I am a fan of the band. I have to say that it is one of the best DKM albums that I have ever heard! The Murphys channel the working man’s life and troubles and fold it into a healthy Boston Irish heritage, with proud, loud and driving songs.
One of the most interesting on the album is the title track “Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight”. With words originally written by Woody Guthrie, the Murphys came across this when Guthrie’s daughter Nora asked them to put the song to music. What results is an anthem about a town brought together, and doing your part to help others. The Murphys lend the song the loud, confident air, belting out the chorus of “My town is big/ and my town is bright/ my town can work/ and my town can fight!”. The almost frantic energy of the song makes it hard to sit still and not sing along while listening to it.
“Black Velvet Band” and “Fields of Athenry” are both tales of theft and punishment, but in different tones. The former is a cautionary tale about getting drunk, winding up with a woman who is a thief, and then being caught and sent off to prison. With rousing bagpipes, the Murphys don’t warn you off of the woman, but instead just tell you to hold on for the ride! “Fields of Athenry” is a slower, sad song about lovers seperated because one is sent to prison for stealing corn to feed their children. They sing wistfully about the free birds flying over the fields.
“Dirty Glass” is a ballad of a man who falls in love with both the female bartender at the tavern as well as the whiskey she purveys. With an accompaniment by a woman (name escapes me right now!), it is a back and forth rousing, yet maudlin song.
The album is filled with pervasive, steady beats and sing-along lyrics, reminiscent of The Pogues. Further adding to it is their use if accordions, bagpipes, flutes, dulcimers and tin whistles, making this no ordinary punk band to listen to. If you are a fan of punk music, the kind with the thumping beat and comraderie, and are in for something different, give the Dropkick Murphys a shot. Channeling celtic harmonies and killer tempo, DKM will not disappoint you. I find that this is the album of theirs that I find myself listening to most. It is polished and professional, with poignant lyrics and an all-around fun time. This is not the teenage skater punk band that intends to cash in and just fools around. The Murphys are hard-working, and most of all, they are genuine. All these things come through on “Blackout”.