Within A Mile From Home,
Flogging MollyAnother Flogging Molly album bounces into the record shops this month, packed with Irish heritage and an obligatory solid back bone of punk rock attack. “Within a Mile from Home” is front man Dave King’s “back to his roots album” drawing more on his childhood influences of traditional Irish music and creating his own songs with what items he could find laying about his home as a boy. Listening to this album can almost transport you in to the back street smoke filled bars of Dublin where the Guinness flows all day and the original Irish folk bands entertain the masses night in, night out.
As soon as this album kicks off, the up-lifting combination of violin and punk - rock guitars hits you immediately with great power and puts a smile straight to your face. “Screaming at the Wailing Wall,” the opening track picks you up and sweeps you along with a wave of catchy pop like melody and pace with the genuine intentions of getting you to sing a long, over and over again. It is by far the albums best track, simply because of its catchy tendencies. It reminds me in a small way of “Whiskey in the Jar.”
As the album plays on through its 15 tracks, it goes from strength to strength. Other stand - out tracks are; “Seven Deadly Sins,” the melodic “Whistles in the Wind,” “Tomorrow Comes A Day Too Soon,” and the powerful ending song “Don’t Let Me Die,” influenced by the legendary Johnny Cash.
In short, king himself sums up Flogging Molly, and their new album better than I think any writer could – “if it didn’t have mandolin, accordion, fiddle and whistle, it would be punk-rock, and if it didn’t have guitar, bass and drums, it would be traditional Irish music. Flogging Molly has both.” Well said Sir. Make this man a new “@punktastic” writer.
Pete
www.floggingmolly.com
