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McGillicuddys "Kilt by Death" Roaring Jack Archives, Australia
| Message Board > Album Reviews > McGillicuddys "Kilt by Death" Roaring Jack Archives, Australia |
| Hernan Crespo User Info... | Just got this review hot off the press form the Roaring Jack Archives out of Australia. BTW, if you don't own this CD yet, you can get it from the online store at http://www.mcgillicuddys.ca/ The latest recording by this Canadian five-piece was released some time ago, but I want to make sure that all you Roaring Jacksters are aware of it. For a start, there�s a cracking cover of a Roaring Jack favourite, �Buy Us A Drink�. This song�s been covered by a couple of other Canadian bands, but the McGillicuddys� version is the most punk rock so far. The guitars are cranked up really high on this song, and throughout most of the album for that matter! The punk rock guitar, bass and drums make a great noise, but they still leave lots of room for the traditional instruments to shine through. There are lashings of mandolin, whistle and accordion, and the plaintive strum of an acoustic guitar can sometimes be heard through the glorious din. Much of the music kinda brings to mind the Pogues plus powerchords. However, lead vocalist Mike Walker sounds nothing like Shane MacGowan, so there�s no way the band can be dismissed as mere Pogues clones. While the album�s title may prepare you for a dose of Scots highland culture a la the Real McKenzies, much of the music within owes more to the traditions of Ireland than those of Scotland. Oh, there�s a cover of the great Scots tune �Nancy Whiskey�, but the other covers � and the MacGillicuddys� originals � sound pretty Irish-influenced to me. Along with the obligatory version of �The Leaving of Liverpool� (covered not only by the Pogues and Roaring Jack, but also more recently by the Dolomites, Amadan and others), there�s a cover from way outta left field of the Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers classic, �One Track Mind�. I live for moments such as this. It�s great to see bands break the mould and pull out songs that have never received a Celtic punk workout before. More, please! The band�s originals tend to cover some time honoured themes, like drinking to forget, revenge and picking one�s broken heart off the floor. However, they make such themes their own by dropping in a bunch of local references. Thus we�re transported to lowlife pubs like the Lady Owen Arms (�Lady Owen�) and to seedy neighbourhoods like New Cross (�Let It Rain�) to watch the losers in McGillicuddys� songs drink their unpleasant little lives away. Unlike the characters in their songs, there�s a lot of hope in this band and Kilt By Death is well worth a listen. Now, any chance of an Australian tour? (AC) - Fri, 24 Oct 2003 9:17am | ||
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