Street Dogs
(Hellcat)
Most bands mellow a bit with age, even Irish punk bands. Not so with Street Dogs, the outfit led by original Dropkick Murphys singer Michael McColgan. State of Grace is the toughest, edgiest record the band’s made, even if it’s their most personal, with tributes to McColgan’s uncle (“Kevin J. O’Toole”) and grandmother (the singalong “Elizabeth”) among more typically topical material.
“Rebel Song” sounds like Thin Lizzy gone punk, while “General’s Boombox” is a high-powered tribute to Joe Strummer. But it’s on the raging “Mean Fist,” “State of Grace,” and “San Patricios”—a song about a battalion of Irish-America soldiers who fought on the side of the Mexicans against the U.S. and were later hanged—that the band rocks most furiously. The album closes with its sole ballad, “Free,” a solidarity song that updates the Clash’s “Stay Free” with a soaring chorus that does its inspiration proud.
Standout Tracks: “San Patricios,” “Two Angry Kids” ERIC SCHUMACHER-RASMUSSEN
Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails by Baseball Project (Wynn, McCaughey, Buck, Pitmon)07/21/2008
