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The Pogues may be untouchable, but Flogging Molly is pretty damn close! As far as I am concerned, Flogging Molly is the BEST Celtic-Punk band out there right now. No Question! With "Drunken Lullabies" we get an album just as strong, and just as excellent as "Swagger." The only thing missing with this one is the "Holy Shit!! Who are these guys!!" that we all said when we heard "Swagger" for the first time. Trust me, I still said "holy shit!!" when I put "Drunken Lullabies" on a couple of days ago! It has everything you would expect from a Flogging Molly album! From the thundering drums, to the tin whistle, from the spoons to the Uilleann pipes, it is ALL there.

Those of you who have the live album will be glad to know that "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" finally made it on this one. So did "Rebels Of The Sacred Heart," a song the band has teased us with at the live shows last year. "Cruel Mistress" may be my favorite tracks on the album, but, I can't justify picking and choosing, because every song on the album has me bouncing off the walls, spilling my Guinness everywhere.(at 7 am before work!) I am at a loss of words with this album, because it is so brilliant! Matt Hensley's squeezebox skills even inspired me to jump on my old skateboard and try to relive old glory days...I fell on my arse and realized I can't skate like Mr. Hensley, (the professional) does!!

The year is young, but, I think I already have my pick for album of the year in the imaginary celtic-folk-punk award show that takes place in my head each year. (I would be sitting next to the lovely Bridget, the fiddle player, of course!)

Simply put; GO GET THIS ALBUM, AND SEE THEM LIVE!

By Brian Gillespie

26f RPM Inc. Will Rogers Station, PO Box 3280 Santa Monica, CA 90408-3280 http://www.floggingmolly.com/

Click to Purchase

(As purveyors of the Modern Irish Music Scene, we here at Shite N’ Onions felt this release important enough to review twice. By the way, if you’re not a Star Wars fan, you may want to skip this and go directly to Brian Gillespie’s review ASAP)

As a life-long Star Wars fan, (not nerd, but fan, mind you) I’d liken the build-up to this release to the anticipation I felt upon hearing about “The Phantom Menace” for the first time. Pumped to say the least. The teasers came swiftly. The live staple “Rebels of the Sacred Heart” promised excitement upon first listen. News of the new album in progress spread across the ‘net. The Flogging Molly Club on Yahoo drummed up excitement for what seemed like years. And then - a release date, and no bonus points for originality here: St. Patrick’s Day.

Coming home with the album was like the lights dimming and preparing to watch Luacsfilms fuck with all that was sacred. This was Flogging Molly after all. “Swagger” was one of the reasons directly responsible for this site being created. So, did this album screw with past memories of glory like the putrid awfulness that was “The Phantom Menace?” Did this album contain a Jar-Jar Binks? I’m happy and relieved to respond with an earth-shattering “Feck No!”

In many ways for me, this release is “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” to “Swagger”s “Episode IV: Star Wars.” To sum up, a darker, more mature effort that I prefer to the original. You heard it. I think this album is better than “Swagger.” It’s not heresy or sacrilege. I just like the overall mood and atmosphere FM have created with this one. The band have all upped the ante, and they all sound top-notch. From Matt Hensley’s prominent accordion to Bridget Regan’s whistle/fiddle, they never sounded better. Dennis Casey, Nathan Maxwell and George Schwindt provide a helluva raucous noise any band would be proud of, and I’m very impressed with Robert Schmidt’s mandolin/bazouki/banjo playing as well. And then we have the vocal stylings and lyrical musings of Mr. King. To sum up his contributions, we turn to a line Dave himself once sang: I am the King and Long Shall I Reign! Well-said and damn right.

From the opening tunes of “Drunken Lullabies” it’s clear we’re back in familiar territory. “Ah, but maybe it’s the way we were taught/Or maybe it’s the way we fought/But a smile never grins without tears to begin/For each kiss is a cry we lost” laments vocalist Dave King. King sounds better on this release than he did on the last, more full of rage and pissed off. The lyrics and intonations seem angrier as well.

Highlights of the first, faster half of the album are many: “May the Living Be Dead (In Our Wake)”sets the plate but my fave of the opening side alternates between the aforementioned live staple “Rebels of the Sacred Heart” and the rollicking “The Kilburn High Road.”

The second half kicks off with the familiar oldie “Swagger” to get the pint a shakin.’ Side Two includes bass player Nathan Maxwell’s pinned sea-tale “Cruel Mistress” on which he also sings. To me, it sounds like the Pogues “Hell’s Ditch” era. Very impressive debut, sir. But, of course, it’s King whose lyrical mastery I marvel at, and cuts 9-12 are my favorite 4 straight on any album in sometime.

“Death Valley Queen” may well be my favorite cut on the record. Gotta dig the line: “So I found me a whore/With a face just like yours/After several gallons of porter.” And then to hear everything slow down as, after chastising for most of the song, King admits: “I have always loved you” is great, great stuff. “Another Bag of Bricks” treads musically along the same lines as the Pogues “Turkish Song of the Damned” and turns out excellent. The band flex their musical chops on this one. Different from anything I’ve heard out of FM. The old Irish traditional “Dublin in the Rare Ould Times” follows. It was originally written by Pete St. John has always been a favorite of mine, particularly the Dubliners version. FM start things out trad enough, with the slow intro, but this soon segues into a version three times as fast as I’ve heard. It, too, is untouchable.

The album ends on an acoustic (and I would guess autobiographical) note “The Sun Never Shines (On Closed Doors)” which seems to serve as a warning. It seems to say to the darkness of the record: don’t get caught up in it. You need light, hope and love in your life to survive. King gives us that ray of hope with the last tune.

So, in retrospect, the song gives us hope, as did the final scene in “Empire Strikes Back.” After all the darkness, after Solo had been kidnapped by Boba Fett and Darth Vader, after Luke gets his hand whacked off and Vader proclaims himself his father, we still have hope. We stills see Luke, Lando, Chewie and Leia getting ready to go after Solo and the Empire, and we knew all would be well. So, be well until FM’s “Return of the Jedi” my friends. But know this - this may be their greatest hour.

By Sean "The Wookie" Holland

26f RPM Inc. Will Rogers Station, PO Box 3280 Santa Monica, CA 90408-3280 http://www.floggingmolly.com/

Click to Purchase

"Reel, Folk'n'Rock'n"Roll" is the cleverly titled 2001 release from Glasgow's own the Electrics. The music is no bullshit REAL (fast) rock'n'roll infused with a wide range of electric folk music from the Irish and Scottish folk tradition to the American Country and Bluegrass sound to Motorhead. Check out the cover of the Violent Femmes "Rejoice and be Happy" with it's "Ace of Spades" introduction.

This is folk rock whose pure intensity will scare the hell out of the folkies but will certainly please the rockers. Definitely more for the leather jacket crowd then the wooly jumper set.

http://atl045.gcal.ac.uk/

The Pogues have NOTHING to do with this live album! You should have NOTHING to do with this live album! I should have NOTHING to do with this live album! (whoops! Too late for me!) This so-called "Live" album is just a bootleg that somebody put together just in time to compete with Shane's solo live album. The cover is a Jamison's Irish Whiskey label with The Pogues written over it. There is also a small photo of Shane on the bottom. Next to that it says "Shane McGowan & Co." instead of "Shane MacGowan & Co." Personally, I hate it when that happens! That alone should show you what you're getting into with this album. A pretty good Bio of the band is in the liner sleeve. (I will get the producers decent credit for that!) It seems like this album is intended for the casual Pogues fan, who is unaware of the quality of the album.

As far as the music on the album itself, the recording is average for a bootleg, but awful for a "Official" Live album. The squeezebox is too loud, and the drums are bouncing off the walls. Shane actually sounds pretty good for his standards. The overall sound is bland and dull. I have bootlegs that sound more crisp and clear than this shit! Track 14) "Yeah,Yeah,Yeah,Yeah,Yeah" sounds better than normal, and is probably the best track on the album.(Hard to believe!) An album from The Pogues Reunion concert in Brixton last December is going to be released later this year. Hold your cash for that, Because this one Sucks!

-OR-

Get your hands on a copy of Greenland Whalefishers "Loboville"! This album deserves much more recognition than it has gotten. Trust me, "Loboville" is worth it! It's also the first album in Shite'n'Onions history to be reviewed twice! That should tell you something! You might think that because they are from Bergen, Norway, that they can't be very good. Quite the opposite! Let's not forget where the folks who founded Dublin are from! Besides a very slight accent, lead singer Arvid Grov sounds better than the man himself, Shane MacGowan does nowadays! In case you’re wondering, this album sounds nothing like alot of those mainland European "Poguesy" albums. Out of the 11 tracks, I really enjoyed "Loboville", "Johnny Lee Roth", and "The Thirsty Cave". But "Hole in Our Hearts" is the greatest track on the record. From the bagpipes to the choir singing, this song did the job for me, and will for you too. Instead of buying the "Streams of Whiskey" live album, buy the Greenland Whalefishers "Loboville" instead! You can even order it through the Shite'n'Onions store.

Review boldly written by Brian Gillespie

http://www.pogues.com/

Finally we have an Irish band playing punk as opposed to the usual punk band playing Irish we normally deal with here. More correctly the Steam Pig are a Dublin band playing punk (none of that Cultchie shite here).

I don't know a hell of a lot about this CD actually. It seems to be a recent recording of older tracks from 97/98 including a few written by Godsy the bands late vocalist who died under tragic circumstances a couple of years ago. I'm not sure if these tracks have previously seen the light of day elsewhere or not.

Musically the Stream Pig are a solid blast of fast street punk with touches of hardcore, oi and Motorhead along with some Thin Lizzy style guitar harmonies (about as traditional Irish as it gets). Lyrically the Steam Pig are three or four steps above the average punk band with a combination of brilliant Dublin wit and observations and some real insightful lyric's into Irish life ("A Barefoot Walk on Dollymount Strand") and it's relationship with the Catholic church. Also check out the lyrics to the un-P.C. but catchy as hell "Stoneybatter Me" guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Will probably be my favorite punk CD of the year at years end.

The Steam Pig

If you ask me, the name McGnarly's Rant perfectly fits the style of this music like a glove. Let's just say with all the influences they have, you can tell this band is from the Pacific Northwest. (Victoria, B.C. Canada) The music is like celtic-polka-punk with groovy jazz feel that growls at you like a wounded wild animal from time to time. Or 'Circus Punk'. A lot of chaos is going on within the tracks of this debut album. From the ska beat of "Fisherman's Pride" to the gypsy groove of "The Circus". Or the country-punk of "Malcom's Mourn". The fiddle is very solid throughout the entire album and the drums and bass provide a nice backbone, that can change from mild to aggressive at any moment. The mandolin and guitar compliment the possessed vocals to form a very original sounding band.

Put together the evil gypsy clown sounds of The Dolomites, with the acoustic-punk of The Filthy Thieving Bastards, to a wee bit of ska and jazz, and it might explain the sound of McGnarley's Rant. Or maybe you could get the album yerself and see what the fuss is about. You can order the CD through Paypal at their very cool website or better yet, see them live and get it directly from the band, and ask them why the hell all those t-shirts only come in L, and not XL!

By Brian Gillespie

McGnarley's Rant P.O. Box 8425 Victoria, BC V8W 3S1 http://www.rantmusic.com/

Amadan, is Irish Gaelic for "Madness" or "The Fool". So if you didn't know what that meant before, you do now. This six-piece band Amadan, certainly has a plate of madness to bring to the dinner table. The lads hail from Corvallis, Oregon (A college town with a bad basketball team! just kidding!) One listen to the album, you can hear many different musical influences blended together and served up perfect. As the Amadan recipe explains: add a pint of guitar/vocals, 1.5 oz of didgeridoo, bodhran, 1 wee cup o' dhoumbec, congas, 2 tbs of some bad ass bass, a "sprig" of rippin' fast fiddle, heat, then add some spoons, more congas, penny whistle, mouth, and snare drum. Shake, stir, and serve to a rowdy crowd...Fists in the air and backs against the wall!

Most noticeable throughout the album to me is the Didgeridoo, which adds a whole new angle. On the track "Tell Me Ma" we have some smooth conga-bass-pennywhistle solos. "The Republic" simply starts with some acoustic guitar, the didgeridoo, fiddle, & congas, and then a solid groove picks up the tempo, as Eric's vocals pick up the pace. The message in this song is quite clear, and a good example of what message the band is trying to get across. I really, really like this version of "Back Home In Derry." And don't forget "The Leaving of Liverpool". A great debut album that should be added to CD collections worldwide!

Review by Brian Gillespie

http://www.amadanusa.com/

A quickie review here. "I Can See Your House From Here" is the second CD from Welsh band the Scooters who play what I'd describe as quirky melodic guitar pop, rich in vocal harmonies and similar in sound to the Beatles, the Byrds (and oh yeah Oasis) and one of my long time favorite bands That Petrol Emotions around their Chemicrazy period. While the music isn't regular Shite'n'Onions faire it's a great CD and if you’re a fan of this type of stuff I'd highly recommend it.

http://www.thescooters.com/

These guys sound a hell of a lot like the bastard son's of the Beverly Hill's Hill Billies or their South Boston cousins at least. "For the Southern Belles of South Boston" is a four track demo of to quote the title of the second song pure "Rock'n'Roll Country Music" - manic banjo's, trashy rock'n'roll and slightly demented bullhorn vocals. If Johnny Cash or Hank Williams were starting out today this is what they would probably sound like and certainly not like that crud that call's itself country music thesedays.

Three Day Threshold 7 Speare Place Boston, MA 02115 http://www.angelfire.com/music/3daythreshold/

The Silent Goodbye is a little off beat from the regular Shite'n'Onions faire. They are a young Boston area four piece playing what I would describe as a musical interpretation of the poetry of fellow Massachusetts native Emily Dickinson. The music is a grinding slow and heavy sonic explosion of guitar riffs and feedback reminiscent of the first Black Sabbath album with mourning full gothic vocals that allow the band to escape the heavy metal tag. Probably not recommended if you suffer from server depression or suicidal tendencies as this might push you over the edge otherwise it's a fine CD.

The Silent Goodbye 24 School St. Apt #2 Somerville, MA 02143

As eclectic as they wanna be, but still clearly flying the banner known as Celtic, Warblefly impress with their second album, “The Sinful, Wise and Insane.” Their press release describes them as “too folky for the indie circuit and too groovy for the folk circuit” and it seems an apt description. Not “punk” by any means, but still too fast and aggressive for the stuffy folkies (or so I’d imagine.)

The album is equal parts traditionals and originals, and opens up with the trad. number “As I Roved Out” which is done fairly straight-forward and I must admit - the musicianship impressed, especially the violin, melodion and the whistle, done by David Hassell, Ellie van Veen and Emma Dover respectively. The gravelly voices of Nigel Griffiths (bass as well) and Adrian Leach (banjo and bazouki) seem a kind of a cross between Spider Stacy and Shane MacGowan…not as gruff or slurred as Shane but a bit more rough then Spider. Good stuff.

Next up is another trad, the instrumental “The Red Haired Boy” which also plays things quite straight. Kind of like a more subdued “Wildcats of Kilkenny.” This band proved themselves very good musicians with these first two songs. When speed is required, these ‘flys can pump it out. Very capable and very well played by the band: Guitar sounds from Frank van Veen, acoustics and bodhran from Matthew Heard, mandolin and trumpet from Peter Frizzell and drums by Dave Hodgson.

Of the originals, my favorite is probably the first “The Rebel Soldier.” It is quite good. The tale relates, of course, the lament of a rebel soldier far from home. “I eat when I’m hungry and I drink when I’m dry/If the drink don’t get me, I’ll die when I die.” Lyrically very inspired stuff from head lyricist the aforementioned Adrian Leach. Leach seems to be taking his cues from not only MacGowan, but Tom Waits, Brendan Behan, Joyce, etc. The title of the CD is lifted from the line “I’ve drunk with the sinful, the wise and insane.” Haven’t we all? Well said, sir.

I also dig the speedy “Tapachula Scramble” which seems to have a bit of tex mex flavor to it showcasing the bands eclectic side indeed. “Home and Dry” follows similar pathways, it being speedy and tightly played and leads into “Dead Jose” which is another winner, with a heavy melodion line, propelled along by the vocals and a lament-type chorus for the title character before hitting 4th gear the rest of the way, and busting into a spaghetti-western type spoken word. “The Life of Reilly” begins the wind-down. The character has “lived the life of Reilly and it just don’t make me happy anymore…. A man with no ambition but at least I’m still a man.” Hear hear. Another strong original.

The album closes with two trads “The Bonnie Ship of the Diamond” and “Twa Recruitin’ Sergeants” both of which are done very well. The prior being a nice sea-shanty-type tune and the latter a “getupandsingtilyapuke” rollickin one. I really liked this one.

Warblefly proved themselves to be a force in the Celtic circuit with this effort and will surely only get better with age. If your bag is very well-played, fast, speedy folk, (not punk) with hints of several other styles involved, check it out. Nice one.

Warblefly PO Box 4952 Earley, RG10 9WE UK http://www.warblefly.co.uk/index.htm

Filmmaker from Saskatchewan, Canada have earned the proud distinction of having their demo downloaded over 40,000 from mp3.com and even reaching number one in the mp3.com charts. "Break This Fall", their debut CD, originally released last year to big collage radio success north of the border and now release in the USA on Farway Records is six slabs of EMO-ish/post punk indie. Not really my listening cuppa of tea but nevertheless if this is your thing I'd definitely recommend it.

Filmmaker 911 Yardley Place Estevan, Sk. S4A 1K2 Canada http://www.filmmakerhq.com/

Debauchery and tears. The second effort from the legendary Pogues promises it from the outset. From the cover piss-take on the painting “Le Radueau De La Medusa (The Wake of the Medusa)” to it’s fiery, howling mad content; “Rum, Sodomy and the Lash” delivers in spades. From puking up in Church to fighting the Turks in Gallipoli, from courting Sally MacLennane to riding with Jesse James, it’s all here, wrapped in the familiar wails of the Wildcats of Kilkenny.

Generally lauded by both critics and fans as the Pogues finest hour (no argument from me, except to add that “If I Should Fall From Grace…” is as good) and produced by the master himself, Elvis Costello, “RSATL” is nothing short of a perfect album. I remember finding the vinyl for $3 in a second-hand shop many years ago, and having no idea what awaited me, and if any of you bastards haven’t heard the album, then I envy you, for the first time you listen to it is almost a religious experience.

Shane’s twisted poetry has arguably never been as clear as it is on this record. Every cut a winner. Inspired. Original line-up. (A good companion to this record is the Pogues book “The Lost Decade” which details the history of the band, and also the making of this record.) It just seems the band were at their tip-top, like they never were before, and never quite would be again. Shane vocals would never be as purely emotive as they are here. He’s always the master, but this is him in his prime. The rest of the band follows his lead - From Spider’s speed demon tin whistle to Cait O’Riordan’s bass playing (always had a soft spot for ol’ Rocky) it all just works.

You can tell you’re in for a helluva ride from the outset. “The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn” promises: “there’s devils on each side of you with bottles in their hands/you need one more drop of poison and you’ll dream of foreign lands.” And off we’re whisked. The boy-prostitutes of “The Old Main Drag” sing a woe-begotten tale, which is quickly drowned out by the cries of “The Wildcats of Kilkenny.”

Up until then, things had been a wild, violent, drunken ride. Debauchery. Now come the tears. The old standard “I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Everyday” with a twist - Cait on vocals. Beautifully rendered. Tugs at the old heartstrings this. But then. Oh, but then. Perhaps Shane’s finest moment. Perhaps his purest vocals. “A Pair of Brown Eyes.” Jesus Christ, what a fucking tune. No use trying to describe the tale of war, love, loss, redemption. Just listen to it yourself. I sure as hell can’t do it justice. Modern Irish poetry.

Things pick back up for the crowd favorite “Sally MacLennane” with it’s tale of Jimmy’s exploits round the world but him never forgetting he loved the town where he was born and poor ol’ Sally. “Jimmy drank until he choked and took the road to heaven in the morning.” And what a trip it most assuredly was. The highlights just keep coming: Ewan McColl’s “Dirty Old Town” might as well have been written by Shane because after this recording, he has owned it ever since. “The Gentleman Soldier” is a sentimental favorite, million miles an hour, with punk rock vocals by the one and only Spider Stacy, and then things wrap up with the ultimate anti-war sentiment “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” and once it ends, just try to swallow the lump in your throat.

To me, it’s simple: The genre of Irish punk owes most everything to this one record. Sure, it wasn’t their first, and certainly not their last grand moment, but for a time, there wasn’t a band on Earth that could touch the Pogues. They could turn it up like the best punk bands only wished they could, and then could choke you up like the best balladeers. From the amount of bands that cover songs from this record, it’s clear - untouchable. Legend. I think it may be the most emotionally charged record I’ve ever had the good fortune to listen to and it’s enduring quality remains even today. So grab a drink and some tissues, put the record on and travel to foreign lands, have a drink and fight the good fight one more time with the first and the best. The Pogues.

Review by Sean Holland