“The Lonesome Boatman,” which kicks off the album, is beefed up from its tin whistle-led original and not too surprising, but the album’s other cover, rather than being a traditional Irish jaunt like the band’s usual style, is “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel (for the uninitiated, the song is often associated with football clubs around the world, which might give a better context for how the band became familiar with the song, although bassist/vocalist Ken Casey also went on record to say that he was inspired to cover the song after finding solace in the lyrics as he was leaving a wake for a friend who died of an opiate overdose). And the covers, while present, are in short supply, and not exactly what you might expect from the band. The production isn’t quite as glossy as The Meanest of Times but it’s still not exactly The Gang’s All Here quality either. Rather than focusing on the actual bombings, the song turns inwardly at all the people who make up Boston and how, despite their differences, they’re all still Bostonians and they’re all still in this together no matter what life throws at them.Īnd yet, for all of its familiarities that make it a Dropkick Murphys album, 11 Short Stories still somehow feels a little different. The true standout on 11 Short Stories, however, is the penultimate track “4-15-13.” Written as a tribute to the people of Boston, the song is a somber reflection of the titular day’s bombings committed during the city’s annual marathon. The album’s first single, “Blood,” alongside “Rebels with a Cause” and “Sandlot” form a strong first third of the album, with plenty of that DKM charm (here are the choruses of all three, respectively: “If you want blood, we’ll give you some straight from the heart til the job is done”, “We believed in you, we knew it from the start- hey kid! You’ve got heart!” and “We had it all when we were young”). The band knows their strengths and have been playing to them since at least 2001. Anyone who has stuck with the band over the past decade and a half is sure to be on board with this. There are shout-along choruses, songs about brotherhood, being kicked down, or standing together in the face of violence and fear, traditional covers, and just enough bagpipe. And the weirdest thing is that they’re both correct statements.įirst and foremost, this is most definitely a Dropkick Murphys album. But if you also think like I’m implying that 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory somehow deviates from the Murphys’ usual trends, it’s because I am also implying that.
![dropkick murphys albums cover dropkick murphys albums cover](https://static.raru.co.za/cover/2015/11/05-30/3589745-l.jpg)
If you think I’m implying that 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory, the latest album by Dropkick Murphys (and allegedly their first of two albums to be released in 2017), sounds like everything else the band has done, it’s because I am implying that. No matter how interesting it might be to hear artists try new instrumentation, it’s still comforting to know that when Bad Religion puts out a new album it will still sound like Bad Religion It could be cool to see what happens when artists attempt genres outside of their wheelhouse, but it’s also just as cool to put on a new NOFX album and already feel like you’ve known the songs for years. Many songs were a collaborative effort.There are always those bands that you can count on to release variations of the same album over and over again. "Cadence to Arms" was featured in the season 1 episode of ' The Sopranos' "College". "Never Alone" was featured in the Extreme sports video game Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX. "Barroom Hero" was used in the final credits of the documentary Restrepo.
![dropkick murphys albums cover dropkick murphys albums cover](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rbu3_SD-V00/TIVdnVla4KI/AAAAAAAAAQE/O0CsiF1LBsk/s1600/nphqhs.jpg)
#DROPKICK MURPHYS ALBUMS COVER PROFESSIONAL#
Reception Professional ratings Review scoresĪllmusic gave Do or Die a rating of three stars out of five, and said that the album was "an interesting blend of hardcore-style punk with traditional Irish inflections." In other media Ī Do or Die poster appears on the wall of John Connor's bedroom in the pilot episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.