Dropkick Murphys"Going Out In Style"

AT first listen, I thought it doesn't sound very exciting, is much different from other albums, but after a few listens I felt differently.  The first song is a riotous welcome to what will become an interesting journey of Corey Larkin, a fictional character whose adventures are fed with a stew of family folklore and the band's personal experiences to create a retrospective of his life in this album of concept. The songmakes me think of 300 when they say that they are outnumbered and outgunned "No mercy, no quarter/They’ll pay for their sins/Now lower the cannons the battle begins" and no matter how many we kill, or how many die; I guess the best way to show them who's boss is to "Hang 'Em High." What seems to follow is a bar-singalong, featuring Fat Mike, Chris Cheney and Lenny Clarke where all the friends, acquaintances, girls who didn't care, and even sister Barbara or Mayor Menino, among others. The song is full of humor and energy which often don't mix with a song about dying, but this isn't about dying it's about "Going Out In Style." The first account of the travels regarding the immigration starts with the death of fifty-seven people, who did the job of men-y and left to die on "The Hardest Mile." I won't be so "Cruel" in my critique of this album, or this song, which is a nice break from the vivacity we heard in the first three tracks. The song relies on the chorus and refrain, but "When circumstance outweighs intention/Sometimes the mountain's just too hard to climb." That would be one of the lines that hit me most in the song ; the whole first verse, and even the refrain..ok..there is a lot to like lyrically. This song might not only be pleasurable listen on "Memorial Day," but may also be a song to listen to every day; it may be listened to when you feel blue, because who can you count on to hold you up by your bootstraps if not you? An inspirational song is revealed when you pay more attention to the lyrics; If not, you can just enjoy what the rest has to offer. The first verse is the most poignant, and the last forty-five seconds (including the banjo and bagpipe barrage) are not afraid to make a man's mistakes; which don't exist here. I finally realize what this song means when it says "Climbing The Chair To Bed." The rhythm of the "Broken Hymns" softens the blow of the harsh reality that is revealed to the families of the soldiers listening to the battle hymns. We have heard this before, that "Deeds Not Words" are louder. A traitor was in the mist and all of his frenemies are p******; he must live with his own mistakes, but that's only if he survives because with all those "Bodies on the floor no one's getting out alive." Let's take a break from the concept and write a Pro-Union Song for the Wisconsin Workers protesting the anti-labor legislation passed by Scott Walker and "Take' Em Down."  Then let's mosh until our whole body hurts, ears ache, and we see more red than just in our eyes as we take a group of fifteen by truck to a "Sunday Hardcore Matinee" in this tenacious tribute to the hardcore of yore (GBH, Agnostic Front, Bad Brains, and Minor Threat). "1953" is a more laid-back singalong  that  is a good break before the lively rendition of this next irish traditional that not only features "The Boss," but features the 'Peg O' My Heart' even if I'm not Irish. The final song is another Irish traditional given the vivacity that these guys are known for. What can I say? I mean, you have Bruce Springsteen in the previous track and another ode to their heritage before the return of "The Irish Rover." They really did end up Going Out In Style. I liked the whole album, but if I could only choose seven songs I would choose: Going Out In Style, Memorial Day, Cruel, Climbing A Chair To Bed, Broken Hymns, Sunday Hardcore Matinee, and Peg O' My Heart.