Two Words, One Answer.
Flogging Molly
 Whiskey on a Sunday $18.98 If you are interested in this band, then you need to buy this. The documentary is very in-depth and some of the top songs are played. You will definitely either love the band or not after watching this. It is very personal and worth all the money to buy, and the best thing is that you don't have to be a long time fan to watch and enjoy  Float $16.98 I downloaded this album today and I am astonished by it's fire, passion, and energy. It's a great listen and the price is far less than this music is worth. I was looking at bands coming to play at a local venue (The Music Farm), and FM is on the calendar. I was thinking, yes, they sound familiar, let me go hear a sample. I would not call this punk, but music that melodically and lyrically surpasses most punk; yet is more turf-kicking fresh than old Irish ballads warmed over. I am still a huge fan of the Clash, and listened to Black Flag and Dead Kennedys back in the day. I like White Stripes and Radiohead (alt/indie etc.), classic blues and hard-bop and fusion jazz, so I am all over the map. Don't care too much for country, bluegrass, or weepy folk. "Float" is original, with excellent, thoughtful lyrics. The musicians are all very good, and very tight, and can do a whole lot more than play fast. Their speed is breathtaking on some of these tracks. The lead singer's voice is wonderful, and like Tom Waits, can be melodic yet gruff at the same time. The main thing that appeals to me in a singer is the honest expression of feeling, which is one of the reasons I like blues and jazz so much. Flogging Molly's lead singer expresses rage, loneliness, lust, nostalgia, and bravado, to name a few. I think this will be my new favorite album for a while, and I will certainly try to catch this show in December. I am now listening to it for the 3rd time already. The slower numbers just add to the depth of the album, and show the range they are capable of. They will rev you up or break your heart - maybe both at the same time. Also downloaded the Pogues If I Should Fall from Grace with God today. Somehow I missed hearing them the first time around. Never too late to become a fan.  Swagger $9.99 Adopting the stereotyped ideal of Irish music, Flogging Molly's obvious agenda is to create singable, happy-sounding tunes with depressing lyrics. "Swagger" has a significant amount of irreverent anger imbedded within each of its thirteen catchy, energetic songs. Flogging Molly is, in a way, singing the blues, but only in the most Irish way - by laughing in the face of one's trials. As the music of a historically oppressed and marginalized community, the connection between the angry punk attitude and the Irish jig seems predestined. In this stylistic overlap, "Swagger's" lyrics form social, but not overtly political, commentary, providing a space for Irish-identified people to work through their current social identity. However, "Swagger" has an overall "sameishness." Many of the tunes sound a lot alike, and until I cracked open the lyrics, I often mistook one song for another. This is not the case anymore, however, and several of the songs stand out as favorites, in particular "Selfish Man" and "Far Away Boys." In the band's defense, their work is probably not meant to be listened to in terms of musical complexity. While the members of Flogging Molly are obviously accomplished musicians, virtuosity is not the point here as much as expression. As a result, one must forgive the occasional appearance of a questionably tuned pennywhistle clashing with an accordion. I cold-bought "Swagger" on the suggestion of a friend (thanks, Maureen), and as a result I don't have much in my collection to compare it to. At times it reminds me of Cake, not because Flogging Molly sounds at all like them, but because there is a simplicity and cleverness that both bands share. Or maybe it's the intermittent trumpet. Like Cake, Flogging Molly is also very accessible, and most people who like real musicians that actually play their instruments will most likely take to "Swagger." I would imagine that Flogging Molly is an excellent live band. Undoubtedly, they exemplify party music for anyone who is, or in any way perceives themselves to be, Irish. This is not music to work through your doldrums on the porch while the storm rolls in (save your Radiohead for that). It is music to be driven to, drank to (not at the same time - let's keep things legal!), played in a bar, and sung aloud in large, beer-swilling crowds. The drunken Flogging Molly fan at a St. Patrick's Day concert is probably a dangerously happy and enthusiastic person. THE LOWDOWN: If you like one Flogging Molly tune, you'll probably like most of them. "Swagger" is consistently entertaining and, as my first experience with the band aside from the "Weeds" soundtrack, it has a welcome spot in my collection. However, the consistency of "Swagger" can also be a detriment, and it can wear thin upon repeated listens. |
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