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EDIT INFODropkick Murphys - The Meanest Of Times
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Album Details
- Artist: Dropkick Murphys
- Album: The Meanest Of Times
- Label: Born & Bred
- Year of Release: 2007
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: dscanland on 2007-10-05
RecommendDropkick Murphys have left the Hellcat/Epitaph roster, I repeat, left the Hellcat/Epitaph roster. It is true. They are on their on their own Born & Bred label now being distributed by growing Independent Label Group. What does this mean for our favorite Boston-based Irish punkers? Not a lot. It's business as usual. I have to admit that The Meanest Of Times wasn't quite as immediate as past Dropkick Murphys albums but after about 3 listens the songs started to stick to my ribs. If you haven't heard these guys before, they truly are a powerhouse punk band. As usual the band melds punk and traditional Irish drinking songs into an amalgam of ferocity. Take the Irish classic "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya", in which the Dropkick Murphys turn into one of the craziest "traditional" songs ever. This album seems to have a little more traditional feel to it than previous albums. Starting with the opening track "Famous For Nothing" they seem to have incorporated the bagpipes in many a track. Then the lovely mandolin intro on "The State of Massachusetts" really drives home this fact. If you have time, dive into the stories. Each song has a drawn out tale that makes every one different.
Is The Meanest of Times the best Dropkick Murphys album? No, but it is still worthy of your almighty dollar. I'd argue that either Blackout or Sing Loud, Sing Proud are the best. But if you do like the Pogues side of things then this is the album for you. The boys seemed refreshed to have their own label and are intent on keeping all of their hardcore fans. These guys are fantastic at the sing-along punk songs that fans can't get enough of.
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on 2008-03-10 bruiser5360 Said:
It's difficult not to like the Dropkick Murphys. Their music is upbeat, passionate and most of all fun. Listening to any of their albums you can tell that they have fun together making music. Overall, "The Meanest of Times" is a good album. Dropkick stays true to their form of heavy punk rock, infused with traditional Celtic, which mixes flawlessly in several of the tracks, including album stand-outs "Famous for Nothing", "The State of Massachusetts" & (F)lannigan's Ball. Unlike past Dropkick albums, Meanest of Times does seem lack musically just a bit on a few of the tracks. Not enough to make this a bad album by any means, but enough to be noticeable. It is not the best Dropkick Murphys album ever, but then again, there aren't many albums in my opinion that can compete with the likes of "Do or Die" or "Sing Loud, Sing Proud". It is, however, an album that loyal fans of Dropkick are going to like, and an album that will inspire those new to dropkick to check out their previous work.
Afterthought: Extra props are due to the Dropkick Murphys for their Album Booklet. I can't count the number of times I have listened to a really good song and reflected afterward as to what the song was about. The Dropkick Murphys have included a quick description of what inspired each of the songs on this album with the lyrics in the booklet. A great idea that I would love to see other bands adopt as well! Cheers!
Rating: 8/10
