CD Odyssey Disc 487: Dropkick Murphys

Sheila and I spent a quiet weekend together doing one of our favourite down-time things – playing board games.  A big part of the experience is picking music.  I’ve still got an old five disc player, and to get started we each put two CDs in and set it to random.  This gives an interesting mix of music, but within a limited number of records.  If we run out of music before we run out of game, we each pick another record (only one this time, because it is usually getting late) and start over.

Over the course of the last weekend, here’s what ended up in the player, and who picked it:

• Billy Bragg – “Don’t Try This At Home” (Logan)
• The Shins – “Chutes Too Narrow” (Sheila)
• Black Mountain – “Wilderness Heart” (Logan)
• R.E.M. – “Automatic for the People” (Sheila)
• Tom Petty – “Hard Promises” (Logan)
• Lucinda Williams – “Self Titled” (Sheila)
• The Pogues – “Peace and Love” (Logan)
• Amy Winehouse – “Frank” (Sheila)
• Corb Lund – “Losin’ Lately Gambler” (Logan)
• God Help the Girl – “God Help the Girl” (Sheila)

Yeah – we played a lot of games over the weekend – mostly Arkham Horror and Dominion (both are great – look them up).  And now on to the game I like to call the CD Odyssey.

Disc 487 is… The Warrior’s Code

Artist: The Dropkick Murphys

Year of Release: 2005

What’s up with the Cover?  The second boxing match of the CD Odyssey (the first was on Aimee Mann’s “The Forgotten Arm” way back at Disc 66 before the “What’s up with the Cover?” feature existed).  Interestingly, both albums were released in 2005.

I know very little about boxing, but as you can partly make out from the fight card in the background it is a scene from a May 18, 2002 bout between Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti (which was later immortalized by Mark Wahlberg in the film, “The Fighter” in 2010).

Of course the Dropkick Murphys – who are lovers of all things Massachusetts – would have known about this fight, since Ward was a famous boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts.  Ward won the fight on decision in nine rounds, or so I am advised by the infallible Wikipedia – so take that for what it’s worth.

How I Came To Know It:  I’ve been a fan of the Dropkick Murphys since my friend Andrew introduced me to them back around 2001 when they released “Sing Loud, Sing Proud,” but I’ll talk about that album when I roll it.  By 2005 I was hooked on their sound, and so I bought “The Warrior’s Code” when it came out.

How It Stacks Up:  I have six Dropkick Murphys albums (I haven’t bought their last two – yet).  Of the six, I’d put “the Warrior’s Code” at fourth, just behind “The Gang’s All Here”.

Rating:  3 stars

A few years back I took a trip to Boston with my friends Byng and Craig where I took in some sports tourism (Craig and I are both huge Bruins fans).  It was a great time, but the rest of Boston didn’t inspire me too much – as a Canadian I’m more used to being the ‘good son’ of England, and Boston’s sightseeing is all about being the rebellious son.

On the plus side this rebelliousness breeds some fine music in Beantown, chiefly the Dropkick Murphys who are only moderately known outside of their hometown, but are definitely favourite sons within it.  The Boston Bruin’s rink is filled with Murphys songs in the same way that you’ll hear Captain Tractor at Edmonton Oiler games (trust me, you will).

The album’s title track honours the aforementioned Massachusetts boxer Micky Ward, and the bonus track “Tessie” is about a famous Boston Red Sox incident, showing the Murphys love all Boston sports legends, not just hockey. As a Miami Dolphins fan, I was just glad I haven’t heard them laud the Patriots yet.  Yech.

Back to the music, which is a mix of Celtic folk music, punk rock and a healthy dose of blue collar worker politics.  Every album they make is infused with huge doses of enthusiasm that encourages you to raise your fist and sing along.

“The Warrior’s Code” is a bit more polished than their earlier albums in terms of production, which I know can offend some punk sensibilities, but as I’ve said in previous reviews, there is no reason why punk music should have to abandon good production values.

The Murphys don’t lose any of their visceral energy as a result.  They know how to blend traditional instruments like the bagpipes with electric guitar, bass and drums.  Along the way they work in violin, mandolin, cello and piano where those make sense, and leave them out where they don’t.  At no point – even at its loudest and most frenetic – is it ever played loosely; another thing that will make punk purists wince, but that I’m thankful for.

As you would expect from a punk/folk crossover band song topics range around a fair bit.  On the punk side, songs like “Citizen C.I.A.,” which is a satirical recruitment song for the U.S.’s intelligence agency.  I doubt it is a favourite at the agency.

On the other side they play traditional songs, including the classic World War One anti-war song “The Green Fields of France.”  This is a beautiful song, and for all their anti-establishment vibe the Murphys give it the respect it deserves, keeping it understated with just piano and a fine vocal performance from lead singer Al Barr.  Prior to getting this album I had only a technically sound, but very generic version by John McDermott so it was great to hear this song sung the way it should be – with a hurtful edge.  I’d have slowed the tempo down just a hair, but it’s a minor quibble.

By contrast, their remake of the Pogues’ “The Auld Triangle” is gorgeously punkified.  It starts out like “Green Fields…” with a mournful piano and penny whistle but it doesn’t take long for an electric guitar assault to jump in, as the song is sped up to two or three times the tempo.  Overall I prefer the Pogues’ version, but the Dropkick Murphys do a fine reimagining, and by speeding it up tyey turn it from a mournful tune to one of rage and defiance (they do rage and defiance well, these boys).

The final song (notwithstanding bonus tracks) is “Last Letter Home” and brings all of the Murphys’ influences together in one place.  Vibrant bagpipe riffs (‘riffs’ is the only way I can think to describe them), join furious guitar playing, heavy bass drum and Barr singing in full throat.  The song is about a soldier away from his family who meets a tragic end serving in Iraq.  The chorus is sung in unison, and goes simply:

“If I lead will you follow?

Will you follow if I lead?”

The song ends with the bagpipes, left on their own, slowing their fury to a mournful drop that takes all that energy and tumbles it off a cliff into silence. 

Clever readers will note that I’ve said very little bad about this album, given that I’m only awarding it three stars.  That’s true – you’re very clever.  That’s because there isn’t a lot on this record that bothers me.  I find “Citizen C.I.A.” a little heavy handed, and the requisite drinking/carousing song “Wicked Sensitive Crew” isn’t as strong as their offering on other albums, but they aren’t terrible songs.

By the same measure, there aren’t a lot of amazing standouts.  This is a solid album by a band who knows their sound and how to make it great, and always give 100%.  It may only add up to three stars for me, but it is a satisfying three stars withal.

Best tracks:  The Warrior’s Code, The Green Fields of France, Take It and Run, The Auld Triangle, Last Letter Home.