Dropkick Murphys - Blackout

Dropkick Murphys
Blackout
Hellcat Records
Grade: A-

The kings of Irish punk rock are back with their fourth offering. This seven-piece from Boston continue to progress and mature over the years and Blackout is another testament to that notion. Since first throwing down and chanting-along in the mid-90s, the Dropkick Murphys have placed themselves into the top-echelon of punk rock. Relying on the exceedingly cool amalgamation of instruments including bagpipes, mandolins and accordions, there is hardly a dull moment from the drop of the hat on "Walk Away." DK's song themes appeal to hard-working blue-collar workers, and it does not hurt if those happen to be Irish from Boston. A good amount of pride, intensity and spirit bleed through every iota of the record without ever sacrificing harmonies and song-writing craftsmanship. This is emphasized and intensified by the DK's insistence of chanting choruses. As with previous records, Blackout includes a traditional arrangement and, here in particular, DK set Woody Gurthie's lyrics for "Blackout" to punk music. The traditional "Black Velvet Band" is set up and nicely executed by DK. "Worker's Song," written by Ed Pickford, utilizes a well-timed bagpipe with lyrics focusing on the worker's plight in society. This is demonstrated throughout with lines such as "We're the first ones to starve, we're the first ones to die…for the worker is working when the fat cat's about." Quasi-title song "Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight" is where DK puts Gurthie's lyrics to work. In a straight-forward punk rock song, DK call up the demons of Black Flag to give Gurthie the all-star treatment. DK have a video for this song that is included in a separate DVD disk (that I will talk about later). While the song is great, the video is exceedingly boring. "World Full of Hate" is a mellow acoustic number that is potentially the best song on the record. However, the title for best song needs to be battled out with "The Dirty Glass." In back-and-forth singing between the DKs and guest vocalist Stephanie Dougherty, "The Dirty Glass" has all the elements of a classic. The song merges punk, rock, bluegrass and traditional Celtic; wow, so great. Other standout songs include "Buried Alive," "As One" with lovely bagpipes leading the way, a tribute to the Bruins with "Time To Go" and "This Is Your Life." Besides from the video for "Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight," the DVD includes two live performances of "Rocky Board To Dublin" and "Boys On the Dock" from DK's St. Patrick's 2002 performance. Both of these are teasers for a forthcoming DK DVD that contains tons of stuff. The trailer utilizes the aforementioned "World Full of Hate" and really brings out the chills when you watch it. Blackout offers so much to the listener and viewer that it would be crime not get this release.