Auld Corn Brigade "Rebels till the End" Bad Dog Records BD60
Release date: 28 December 2013
Running time: 49:50, 14 tracks
Auld Corn Brigade have been around for a while, blending the Wolfe Tones and streetpunk. If their debut album “A Fighter’s Lullaby” was full of Rebel songs, their follow-up, the 4 track EP “Our Flag, proved that the boys and girls from Nordhausen were able to defend their own material.
“Rebels till the End” is obviously their most mature effort to date. The album lists 14 tracks and 10 of them are self-penned songs. The main songwriter is lead vocalist/guitarist/bass player Nico, but fellow member Marko has co-written one song with him, “Old Lullaby”. A small change in the line-up can be noticed. Bassist Klaus is no longer on board but there is a new member playing accordion, piano, tin whistle and fiddle: Eric.
Yes, there is a musical evolution, but the band’s DNA has not varied. Lyrics are rebel songs; from the XXIst century, but as rebel as ever. The lyrics cover Irish topics (emigration in “Sheila and Shawn”, fighters for freedom in “Graves of the Fallen Soldiers”), but there are also numbers about worldwide “problems” (“Financial Times”), underlying racism (“Idyllic Small Town”), rugby anthems (“Seamrog Song” and “Come Back Home”), a tribute to Sankt Pauli football club and neighbourhood (“Forza Sankt Pauli”) and even a drinking song (“Old Lullaby”).
My fave numbers, following the track order: “1605” (a song about Guy Fawkes day), ”Sheila and Shawn” (fantastic chorus to sing-along and excellent guitar work), “Seamrog Song” (one of the best songs on the album), “Come Back Home” (featuring “Auld Lang Syne” on tin whistle at the end of the song), “Old Lullaby” (an infectious number. At the beginning Nico sings a capella, then the rest of the band joins. Excellent banjo picking and clapping at the end), “Ydillic Small Town” (another street punk anthem), “Day to Day” (the single, ACB covering Gary Bolstad), “Forza Sankt Pauli” (a live favourite), “Donny brook Fair” (ACB return to their beloved territory, Irish ballads), “Rose of No Man’s Land” (another cover about the Red Cross nurses in WW I) and their amazing rendition of “South Australia”. Maybe a couple of details could have been improved. Fiddle and tin whistle get the right treatment, but perhaps the accordion is a little bit hidden in the mix. Besides, I feel that in some songs the electric instruments sound stronger than Nicole Vocals.
Auld Corn Brigade have remained faithful to Bad Dog Records and their label has released the CD in a digipack once again. As you can see, the artwork is awesome. I guess that Auld Corn Brigade will sell a lot of t-shirts with the skeleton-fiddler.
Congrats to Auld Corn Brigade for their evolution as a Celtic streetpunk band. If they keep on growing in future releases, they’ll become an essential band.
Release date: 28 December 2013
Running time: 49:50, 14 tracks
Auld Corn Brigade have been around for a while, blending the Wolfe Tones and streetpunk. If their debut album “A Fighter’s Lullaby” was full of Rebel songs, their follow-up, the 4 track EP “Our Flag, proved that the boys and girls from Nordhausen were able to defend their own material.
“Rebels till the End” is obviously their most mature effort to date. The album lists 14 tracks and 10 of them are self-penned songs. The main songwriter is lead vocalist/guitarist/bass player Nico, but fellow member Marko has co-written one song with him, “Old Lullaby”. A small change in the line-up can be noticed. Bassist Klaus is no longer on board but there is a new member playing accordion, piano, tin whistle and fiddle: Eric.
Yes, there is a musical evolution, but the band’s DNA has not varied. Lyrics are rebel songs; from the XXIst century, but as rebel as ever. The lyrics cover Irish topics (emigration in “Sheila and Shawn”, fighters for freedom in “Graves of the Fallen Soldiers”), but there are also numbers about worldwide “problems” (“Financial Times”), underlying racism (“Idyllic Small Town”), rugby anthems (“Seamrog Song” and “Come Back Home”), a tribute to Sankt Pauli football club and neighbourhood (“Forza Sankt Pauli”) and even a drinking song (“Old Lullaby”).
My fave numbers, following the track order: “1605” (a song about Guy Fawkes day), ”Sheila and Shawn” (fantastic chorus to sing-along and excellent guitar work), “Seamrog Song” (one of the best songs on the album), “Come Back Home” (featuring “Auld Lang Syne” on tin whistle at the end of the song), “Old Lullaby” (an infectious number. At the beginning Nico sings a capella, then the rest of the band joins. Excellent banjo picking and clapping at the end), “Ydillic Small Town” (another street punk anthem), “Day to Day” (the single, ACB covering Gary Bolstad), “Forza Sankt Pauli” (a live favourite), “Donny brook Fair” (ACB return to their beloved territory, Irish ballads), “Rose of No Man’s Land” (another cover about the Red Cross nurses in WW I) and their amazing rendition of “South Australia”. Maybe a couple of details could have been improved. Fiddle and tin whistle get the right treatment, but perhaps the accordion is a little bit hidden in the mix. Besides, I feel that in some songs the electric instruments sound stronger than Nicole Vocals.
Auld Corn Brigade have remained faithful to Bad Dog Records and their label has released the CD in a digipack once again. As you can see, the artwork is awesome. I guess that Auld Corn Brigade will sell a lot of t-shirts with the skeleton-fiddler.
Congrats to Auld Corn Brigade for their evolution as a Celtic streetpunk band. If they keep on growing in future releases, they’ll become an essential band.
Tracklist:
1. 1605 4:27
2. Sheila And Shawn 2:34
3. Seamrog Song 3:23
4. Come Back Home 3:37
5. Old Lullaby 3:25
6. Financial Times 4:41
7. Idyllic Small Town 4:00
8. Graves Of The Fallen Soldiers 5:08
9. Day To Day 2:37
10. Rebels We Are 3:17
11. Forza Sankt Pauli 3:13
12. Donnybrook Fair 3:20
13. Rose Of No Mans Land 2:53
14. South Australia 3.09
Website
Facebook
Reverbnation
Click to buy:
Band's store
Review by Kinksmarkham
1. 1605 4:27
2. Sheila And Shawn 2:34
3. Seamrog Song 3:23
4. Come Back Home 3:37
5. Old Lullaby 3:25
6. Financial Times 4:41
7. Idyllic Small Town 4:00
8. Graves Of The Fallen Soldiers 5:08
9. Day To Day 2:37
10. Rebels We Are 3:17
11. Forza Sankt Pauli 3:13
12. Donnybrook Fair 3:20
13. Rose Of No Mans Land 2:53
14. South Australia 3.09
Website
Reverbnation
Click to buy:
Band's store
Review by Kinksmarkham
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