Album Reviews
‘For The People’ is already the Dropkick Murphys’ thirteenth album and while at this point they have nothing left to prove, it shows they still have plenty of gas left in the tank.
Opener ‘Who’ll Stand With Us?’ is the kind of call to action, working man anthem the Dropkick Murphys have become known for. It is also a rhetorical question. Of course we’d rather stand with the Boston punk legends, than the idiot who’s turning the US presidency into a travesty.
‘For The People’ is a trademark Murphys album. There’s room for rowdy rockers, more introspective moments as well as rallying cries. There are also plenty of guests adding different accents to the album. You have Irish rockers The Scratch helping out on ‘Longshot’ and the closing track, The Mary Wallopers do their thing on ‘Bury The Bones’, Billy Bragg lends his pipes to ‘School Days Over’ and Al Barr - who is still taking time off from the band to care for his parents - can be heard on ‘The Vultures Cicrle High’.
Elsewhere on the album, there’s people who don’t actually contribute to the songs, yet their spirit looms large over the songs regardless. Literally in the song ‘The Big Man,’ an ode to Pennywise’s Fletcher Dragge. Or ‘Chesterfields & Aftershave,’ dedicated to Ken Casey’s grandfather while ‘Streetlights’ finds Casey reflecting on his father who passed away when Casey was only 8 years old.. And then there’s ‘One Last Goodbye (Tribute To Shane),’ which as the title says, is a tribute to the late Pogues frontman.
‘For The People’ probably won’t snag the title for best Dropkick Murphys album, but it is another sturdy addition to the band’s ever-growing discography.
For The People tracklist:
- Who’ll Stand With Us?
- Longshot (feat. The Scratch)
- The Big Man
- Chesterfields And Aftershave
- Bury The Bones (feat. The Mary Wallopers)
- Kids Games
- Sooner Kill ‘Em First
- Fiending For The Lies
- Streetlights
- School Days Over (feat. Billy Bragg)
- The Vultures Circle High (feat. Al Barr)
- One Last Goodbye “Tribute To Shane” (feat. The Scratch)
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
