After having topped our Best of 2014 with their second album “Rise of the Bastard”, Bastard Bearded Irishmen only delivered a single in 2016, “Pirates of Three Rivers”. So, fans have had to wait till May 2018 to grab the latest album by Pittsburgh’s finest band.
The CD running time is 65:30. Then, in vinyl terms, “Drinkin’ to the Dead” would be a double album. There are 16 tracks on the album, 15 listed and 1 bonus track titled “Secret Strings”. There is only 1 cover (“Dirty Old Town”), 1 track written by fiddler Paul Dvorchak (“Harvest”), 4 tracks written by mandolin/banjo player Danny Rectenwald (“Let’s Have a Party”, “What a Life that Would Be”, “Slip (the) Jig” and “Drinkin’ to the Dead” (prelude) and the other tracks have been written by front man Jimmy Bastard.
Apart from the pirate theme (“Pirates of Three Rivers”), Bastard Bearded Irishmen have stretched the boundaries of their sound to Eastern European influences. In fact I daresay that Bastard Bearded Irishmen have become the U.S. answer to English band Smokey Bastard on tracks such as “No Problems, No Drama”, "Ya Ya Ya”, “Drunken Drinkin´” and “What a Life that Would Be”. Moreover, there is an instrumental number, “Harvest”, a couple of kick-ass party songs (“Moscato” and “Let’s Have a Party”), together with a number in The Tossers vein (“Another Bottle of Booze”) and a song that reminds me of the Eagles “Hotel California”.
My fave songs are, in running order, “Salutations, Memoirs, Denouements”, (celtic punk at its best), “Let’s Have a Party” ( amazing number to sing along, dance and drink), “Harvest” (brilliant tune based on mandolin and fiddle. Why most of the Celtic punk bands are reluctant to record their own instrumentals and keep on recording the usual worn out traditional tunes?), “Drunken Drinkin’” (a blend of The Dreadnoughts’ energy and Smokey Bastard’s sound), “Pirates of 3 Rivers” (an upbeat number featuring Mike Hall on accordion), “What a Life that Would Be” (another amazing Eastern European sounding number) and “Drinkin’ to the Dead” (a badass cut with a Flogging Molly twist featuring Jessica Hohman on flutes).
Bastard Bearded Irishmen “Drinkin’ to the Dead” is a must have for every Celtic punk fan and the proof that these guys are one of the best bands in the Celtic punk scene.
Irish Moutarde released their debut album “Raise ‘em All” in 2013 and their sophomore album “Perdition” has been issued in 2018. During that five year period the band has had some line-up changes. Rhythm guitarist Mathieu Audet, piper Christian Haerinck and banjoist and acoustic guitarist Dominic Haerinck left Irish Moutarde in December 2014 and Gabor Somogyvari on pipes and Tony Vandal on banjo and acoustic guitar joined the band in December 2014 and March 2015. So the 7 piece band is now a sextet.
Even if 5 years have gone by and there are some “new” members, “Perdition” is the logical follow-up to “Raise ‘em All”. Obviously, Irish Moutarde have grown up as a band and some changes have taken place. “Raise ’em All” was an album sung in English, but “Perdition” consists of 7 numbers in French and 6 numbers in English. Moreover, a new traditional instrument can be heard, the accordion played by Andrée-Anne.
Highlights on “Perdition” would be tracks no. 1, 2, 7, 9 10 and 13. The opening cut “Prélude en La (lala)” is a catchy song with its la-la-las and a sound that sometimes reminds me of Breton folk. “The Poison Trail” is an amazing number with kick-ass bagpipes and banjo, and hey shouts. “À la santé de Lucifer” is an uptempo song with the classic Irish Moutarde sound. Andrée-Anne plays accordion on “Bientôt”, there are girl and boy vocals and a great electric guitar part. “Old Days” has an acoustic beginning but soon turns into a Celtic rock number with a Black Tartan Clan twist. Finally, “The Bitter End” is the brilliant closing number, and upbeat song featuring Pachelbel’s canon.
Regarding the other tracks on the album,“Terre Rouge” is a Rage Against the Machine meets The Real McKenzies song; “Jarrets” gets the SoCal punk treatment; “Eat, Drink and be Merry” is a Queen playing circus music cut; “N’oublions pas” moves to the Flatfoot 56 territory; “Only in Your Lies” features electric guitar; “Go Away” is a hardcore song and “Condamnés” is a lively track.
“Perdition” is available at the main digital platforms and physical copies can be purchased from Bandcamp and CDbaby.
Track listing:
01. Prélude en La (lala) 02:59 02. The Poison Trail 02:49 03. Terre rouge 03:12 04. Jarrets 03:13 05. Eat, Drink and Be Merry 03:04 06. N'oublions pas 03:34 07. À la santé de Lucifer 02:27 08. Only in your Lies 04:37 09. Bientôt 02:45 10. Old Days 03:38 11. Go Away 02:52 12. Condamnés 03:57 13. The Bitter End 02:59
Jolly Jackers "Out of the Blue" Tom-Tom Records TTCD284 Release date: April 20, 2018 Running time: 37:57, 11 tracks + 1 hidden track
Jolly Jackers released their fourth CD titled “Out of Blue” last April 20. Last year former fiddler Krisztina left the band and the new fiddler is Noémi Szentimrei. Given that Krisztina was the main songwriter in the band, some doubts about the band’s new direction might arise. But all the bands members have engaged in the creative process and the result is quite good. Most of the lyrics have been written by the girls (Enikő, Andrea and Noémi) and Mark and Viktor have written most of the music with a little help from the girls.
“Out of the Blue” consists of 11 tracks plus a hidden track. The first cut on the album is a short intro and the hidden track (called “Surprise”) is a jazzy instrumental. Then, there are 10 songs that keep up the Jolly Jackers fresh sound from previous releases. My fave numbers are the upbeat songs “Billy the Crook” and “Dancing Shoes” together with track no. 4, the wonderful “See You at the Sea”. But the lively approach of Jolly Jackers can also be heard on other interesting numbers such as “Deaf and Dumb”, “Lies” and "War”. Other influences can be noticed on “Chameleon” (country), “Until We Meet Again” (female Celtic pop à la The Corrs) and ”Demons and Angels” (wah wah towards the end).
The album has been published again by Tom-Tom and comes with a 12 page booklet with the lyrics to all of the songs and plenty of pics.
Track listing:
01. Blue 00:28 02. Billy The Crook 02:54 03. Rich, Famous & Cool 03:19 04. See You At The Sea 03:03 05. Chameleon 04:11 06. War 03:36 07. Dancing Shoes 02:03 08. Lies 03:20 09. Deaf And Dumb 03:32 10. Demons And Angels 03:18 11. Until We Meet Again 01:28 12. Surprise
Jimmy Attack (La Fiesta del Diablo) and Pablo Riguetti (Aires Bastardos) have been working hard on a compilation featuring folk-punk bands from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Mexico: "Compilado Latinoamérica folk-punk2018". Pablo told me about their project some months ago and I gave some leads to them.
Finally, the album is ready on YouTube and will be available for purchase and download soon. I'm glad to see this kick-ass compilation out. You'll find bands you're familiar with (Lugh, RATS, La Fiesta del Diablo, McMiners, Punching Namard, Lucky Seven or Raise My Kilt) and brand new bands (Aires Bastardos, Gypsy Vanner, Cochinillas Alcohol Club, Index Of, The Celtas Ride Again, No Pibe, Bestiariö or Seven Rats Piper).
Hats-off guys!
Track listing: 01.- Lugh - Garrafas do Ofício (BRA) 02.- Aires Bastardos - Marche una poción (ARG) 03.- Gypsy Vanner - Galway Girl (ARG) 04.- Cochinillas Alcohol Club - El Beso del Diablo (MEX) 05.- Index Of - Nada queda en pie (ARG) 06.- The Celtas - All the Way to the Bansky (BRA) 07.- Rats - Saloon 79 (BRA) 08.- La Fiesta del Diablo - Resaca de Ciudad (CHI) 09.- The McMiners - Behead the Captain (BRA) 10.- No Pibe - Control AT (ARG) 11.- Panchofolk - Dime que no eras tú (CHI) 12.- Bestiario - De Luto (COL) 13.- Punching Namard - As They Say (BRA) 14.- Seven Rats - Drunken Lullabies (CHI) 15.- Rase my Kilt - 1982 (ARG) 16.- Lucky Seven - Por Libertad (MEX)
Penn Du "Mascarade!" Release date: June 14, 2016 Running time: 51:59, 10 tracks + 1 Bonus track
Penn Du (Black Heads) is a 7 piece Breton band based in Yvelines, Île de France (Parisian Region). The band was established in 2003, but the current line-up dates from 2011: Arnaud aka Nono (drums, 2003), Cédrick aka Drics (bagpipes, bombardes, whistles and bckg. vocals, 2003), Xavier aka Xav (keyboards, samples, 2005), Eric aka Gal (lead vocals and guitars, 2007), Anthony aka Anto (lead vocals, trumpet, bass and 12 string guitar, 2009), Sébastien aka Seb (guitars and djembe, 2009) and Raphaël aka Raph (fiddle, trombone, harmonica and bckg. vocals). They released their debut album “Définitivement à l’Ouest!” in 2012 and their sophomore album “Mascarade!” followed in 2016. Penn Du have labeled their music as 100% Rock Ska Celto-Bretonned.
All the tracks on “Mascarade!” are self-penned songs: upbeat Celtic rock with Breton folk influences. The boys say that they are influenced by the likes of Merzhin, Soldat Louis, Tri Bleiz Die, Tri Yann and Alan Stivell.
“Mascarade!” kicks off with “Complainte d’un Roi”, a Breton ska number. This was the first "single" off the album, as a video for this song was shot. Track no. 2 is the amazing “L’esclave”, my fave song on the album. Well-balanced blend of powerful guitars and traditional instruments. It was the second “single” off “Mascarade!” and the video for the song was out in 2018.
“Ar gwyr ar yezhou” is a song in French and Breton featuring bagpipes and fiddle about the respect for the French regions and their own languages (Breton, Basque, Corsican, Catalan and Occitan). “Merlot l’enchanteur” is another ska song featuring tin whistle, fiddle and bombarde. The beat is shifted from ska to reggae towards the end.
The other highlights on the album are, IMHO, “Everezh” and the bonus track “Chanson pour JC”. “Everezh” begins with acoustic guitar and vocals, and then the rest of the band joins in. Fiddle and tin whistle are heard at the beginning and bombarde and fiddle at the end. The song ends up again with acoustic guitar and vocals, together with a live at the pub atmosphere (claps and shouts). “Chanson pour JC” gets an acoustic folk-punk treatment based on djembé and fiddle.
Track listing:
01 - La complainte d'un roi 4:50 02 - L'esclave 4:41 03 - Ar gwir ar yezhoù 3:42 04 - Bertaèyn 4:48 05 - Merlot l'enchanteur 4:03 06 - Etat d'urgence 4:16 07 - La dernière marée 5:50 08 - Fantaisie 4:24 09 - Everezh 10 - Le vieux drapeau rouge 6:20 11 - Chanson pour JC 5:07 (Bonus track - Not listed on the CD)
Bodh'aktan "Ride out the Storm" Go Musique GOCD1801 Release date: June 1, 2018 Running time: 49:03, 14 tracks (13 + 1)
“Ride out the Storm” is the second album in English released by Quebecer band Bodh’aktan. “Against Winds and Tides” was basically a bunch of songs from their debut album in French, together with some new songs and covers. But “Ride out the Storm” is an album featuring brand new songs.
As usual, there are some traditional numbers and a set of tunes. The first trad song is the anthemic “Heave Away” and is based on Newfie band The Fables’ rendition (it can be found on their debut album “Tear the House Down” from 1998). The second trad song is “Black Velvet Band” and features The Chieftains legend Paddy Moloney on uileann pipes. Bodh’aktan cover differs from The Grinning Barretts’ rendition that can be found on the EP that was reviewed here. In 1998 The Chieftains released an album together with Canadian acts, “Fire in the Kitchen”. Bodh’aktan didn’t exist yet, so you won’t find this song on that album. But if ever “Fire in the Kitchen” is re-issued, it would be wonderful that this number could be added as a bonus track. The last traditional song is “Mick MGuire”. This song shares the music with “Hot Asphalt” and Bodh’aktan have been inspired by The Irish Rovers version. The set of tunes is one of the highlights on the album. It’s titled “Reels” and there are three reels (the second one is “Julia Delaney’s” and the third one “St. Anne’s”).
"About Things to Come" is a kick-ass intro featuring excellent pipes and percussion.Bodh’aktan’s classic sound can be heard on “Nothing but a Game”, “Ride out the Storm” and “You are the Ones”. “The Bridge” is Rock’n’Reel at its best and “Get Loud”, an AC/DC infused cut, showcases the band’s hard rock edge too. On the contrary, “While I’m Away” is a quieter song with a folkier approach.
Two versions of the sing-along “We Cannot Fail” are delivered: the standard version and the bonus one, featuring German Celtic rock heroes Fiddler’s Green.
Fans of Celtic rock will enjoy “Ride out of the Storm”. The first two albums put the level too high, but Bodh’aktan have been able to keep on offering top-notch albums with different sounds and approaches.
Track listing:
01 - About Things to Come 1:08 02 - Nothing but a Game 2:47 03 - Get Loud 4:18 04 - Heave Away 3:11 05 - Black velvet band (featuring Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains) 4:36 06 - Ride out the Storm 3:18 07 - The Bridge 4:12 08 - Reels 3:42 09 - You are the Ones 3:29 10 - Chasing the Wind 4:14 11 - Mick McGuire 2:08 12 - We cannot Fail 3:57 13 - While I'm Away" 3:32 14 - We cannot Fail (Feat. Fiddler's Green) 3:59
Hibernia is a 6 piece Celtic metal band from Torrelavega (Cantabria, Spain). The band was formed at the beginning of 2015 and has released a 4 track EP titled "Summerstorm".The EP is available as a Name Your Price download on Bandcamp.
Line-up:
Adrián Bretones - Vocals, rhythm guitar Martín Llera - Bass Mario Sañudo - Drums Rosa Payno - Tin whistles and traverse flute Victor Bolado - Guitar Flavio Pérez - Fiddle
Fringale "Mise en Bouche" Release date: February 1, 2018 Running time: 24:12, 6 tracks
Fringale is the side project of Fabien Barot (The Charmrocks). “Mise en Bouche” is the band’s third EP, as they have previously released their self-titled 5 track EP in 2015 and another 5 track EP, “Deuxième Service”, in 2016.
“Mise en bouche” was recorded in June 2107 by Fabien (lead vocals, guitars, clarinet, percussions), Ninon Langlois (fiddle, background vocals), Pia Véran (bass, background vocals) Kévin Lérou (drums, percussions, bckg. vocals) and guest musicians Timothée Alkhallaf (trumpet), Frédéric Lamarre (trombone) and Romain Lambert, Marianne Taylor, Quentin Monget, Tanguy Morvant and Anne Doyen on background vocals.
The music on “Mise en bouche” is a party folk-rock with a Celtic twist. Lyrics are very important to really appreciate the band, but anyway the songs can be enjoyed by fans that don’t speak French.
My fave numbers are the opening track “Atomic Bouga Bouga” and the closing track “Chanson pédagoqique”. The former has a ska passage and features fiddle and horns, while the latter gets a reggae treatment. “Des mots” and “Un simple courant d’air” are also a couple of interesting cuts that remind me of the Shoepolishers.
“Mise en bouche” is housed in a cardboard sleeve and is available both at Amazon and iTunes.
Track listing:
1 - Atomic bouga bouga 3:25 2 - Le petit prince et les moutons 4:17 3 - Des mots 4:03 4 - Un simple courant d'air 4:00 5 - Confidente 4:34 6 - Chanson pédagogique 3:50
The Stab Rovers is a celtic/folk rock band hailing from the South Shore of Nova Scotia. They play Mariner Rock and Celtic Shenanigans. After having released acouple of live songs on Bandcamp in 2015 and 2017, they've just released their self-tittled 7 track album. The album has been released last June 2, 2018 and the songs were recorded at Stronghold. Basically a well-balanced blend of Canadian stuff, Irish standards and shanties. Highlights: the medley "Mari's Wedding / Tell Me Ma" and their fantastic rendition of "The Irish Rover".
Malasañers "Footprints" Wolverine Records WRR229 Release date: March 16, 2018 Running time: 40:00, 13 tracks
“Footprints” is Malasañers’ sophomore album. Once again, the CD has been released by German label Wolverine Records. But there are significant differences with the band’s debut album. First of all, “Spanish Eyes” was recorded mainly by Spanish musicians. Secondly, the sound on “Footprints” has moved to the punk folk end rather than to the (Celtic) folk punk end.
The album has been recorded by front man Carlos del Pino (vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, banjo), Cornelius Appun (vocals, electric guitar), Frau Vau (fiddle), Teemu Salo (keyboards), Philipp Renz (drums) and guest musicians Sophie Höpner (cello) and Trine Pedersen (ska vocals and album’s producer together with Carlos).
A couple of videos were shot for “Sell the Night” and “Long Live the Glory”, two killer songs. The former, sung by Carlos, features banjo and keyboards, while the latter, sung by Cornelius, is an uptempo punk rock number with catchy chorus, So-Cal punk bass lines and claps.
Other faves are “My Time before I Die” and “Ghostly Lovers” (both upbeat songs with Cornelius on lead vocals), the poignant “Your Wars” sung by Carlos (whose lyrics remind me of the Levellers’ “Another Man’s Cause”), and the interesting “Paris, je t’aime”, featuring fiddle and keyboards.
Carlos del Pino songwriting had a Social Distortion twist on “Spanish Eyes". And he has a side-project with a Johnny Cash flavor too. These influences are more obvious on Malasañers new offering. Clearly the band shares a common ground with other acts like Airs & Graces and The Detonators. Production is pristine on “Footprints” and the album has been mastered by Mass Giorgini (Squirtgun), a guarantee of success.
Track listing:
01 - Sell the Night 2:54 02 - Workers on the Run 3:52 03 - My Time before I Die 2:43 04 - But not Today 3:22 05 - Long Live the Glory 3:17 06 - The Stars Are Falling 3:18 07 - Paris, je t'aime 2:40 08 - I Just can't Stay and Wait 2:56 09 - Footprints 3:29 10 - To the Border 2:25 11 - Ghostly Lover 2:34 12 - Fun has just begun 3:16 13 - Your Wars 3:09
