2008 Woodie Awards
Flogging Molly - Float reviewed
Drinking songs never get old
by Adam Asher
Issue date: 3/4/08 Section: Mosaic
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Flogging Molly
SideOneDummy Records
Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)
Despite what the Catholic Church is telling people, Flogging Molly says St. Patrick's Day is coming early this year. With the release of the California band's fourth studio album, Irish punk enthusiasts can look forward to banging their heads, pounding their pints and getting green just a little prematurely.
Complete with fiddles, banjo, pipes and other traditionally Irish instruments, the seven-piece band's new album will pound listeners' ear drums with its signature brand of upbeat raucous punk that sounds straight out of an Irish pub on the holiest of drinking days.
The style is nothing new for the band with plenty of hard-luck sob stories and, of course, good ol' fashioned drinking songs.
"Drink away the rest of the day, wonder what my liver'd say / Drink, it's all you can / Blackened days with their bigger gales blow in your parlor to discuss the day / Listen it's all you can / Ah but don't, don't sink the boat that you need, you built to keep afloat," sings a somber Dave King on the title track, just before a soft string section backs up his folk-style solo acoustic guitar.
Since its last studio album in 2004, it doesn't seem like a whole lot has changed. Although the band is generally steadfast in using the same themes and song structures with frequency that borders on dependence, Flogging Molly has clearly taken time to perfect its sound over the years.
If it's not a somber acoustic story backed with a fiddle, it's a loud punky call to the bar. Whatever category the song falls into, however, the band executes it flawlessly, giving its fans just what they have come to expect in the band's 11-year run.
Float sounds like a fun night at a crowded bar at the end of a hard day. After 11 songs of pure punky fun, the album is not musical genius, but with its quick pace, simple structures and drinkable licks, fans will have no problem listening to King whine before jumping into party mode and celebrating early.
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