2025, 6 - Dropkick Murphys - The Meanest of Times (2007)

While not their first, and far from their last album, "The Meanest of Times" is perhaps the most sinically identifying collection of tracks released by the Celtic Rock band "The Dropkick Murphys". Their prinicple appeal to me lies in the use of traditional instruments paired with the typical Rock band ensemble, and vocals that sound equally authentic in a studio setting or shouted by a bar's worth of people with about one too many drinks of their choice, even if that means that the actually words being sung are rarely very easily identifiable.

If I were to tell someone to check out this band, I'd tell them to listen to "(F)lannigan's Ball". While the melody is not a Dropkick Murphys original, the fact that it's technically a rendition of a traditional makes it easy to appreciate the way they went about it, and how well their own signature style blends with the traditional melody and instrumentation. Between it, and "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya" I prefer it only because it's lyrics are less silly when you think about it for just a moment, though the latter will likely be more of a hit at parties. Outside of covers of traditionals, this album has two chief settings that the group operates in, with little overlap: Up-tempo, thrashy and metal ballad, both of which they do very well, though the former perhaps manages to incorporate the Irish folk style more reliably. As such, tracks like "The State of Massachussets" and "Loyal to No One" more immediately register as "Dropkick Murphys" than "God Willing" or "Surrender".

When I listen to an album like this, I usually try to get the extended editions with as many of the extra tracks as I can find. In this case I think it becomes immediately apparent why the tracks that are on the extended version were cut from the original. Not that they are technically any better or worse (though I'm not fond of "Jailbreak"), I like "Breakdown" and "The Thick Skin of Defiance" fine, but they sound very tangibly different from the rest of the album. Seeing as some of their earlier stuff don't show the same approach to the instrumentation and production, and they would later change their sound again, when they were forced to continue with different members due to partial hiatus, this feels like a conscious decision to double down on their selected style that they would continue to carry into the future.