Album review: Dropkick Murphys’ ‘Signed and Sealed in Blood’
An early contender for 2013’s finest Christmas song arrives halfway through the new Dropkick Murphys album in “The Season’s Upon Us.†It’s a rowdy Celtic-punk number in which singer Ken Casey runs down the charms of his extended family, member by miserable member: “My nephew’s a horrible, wise little twit,†he barks, “He once gave me a nice gift-wrapped box full of†— well, you can imagine the rest.
As in its obvious predecessor, “Fairytale of New York†by the Pogues, affection accompanies spite in “The Season’s Upon Usâ€; but warmth is all you hear by the time the song’s brandy-soaked chorus hits. And so it goes throughout “Signed and Sealed in Blood,†which demonstrates that for this long-running Boston band, loving and fighting aren’t opposites but rather complementary manifestations of the only thing that matters: passion.
In “The Boys Are Back†they exit Interstate 93 “looking for trouble,†yet pause to buy roses from “a bum at the lightâ€; in “Burn†they resolve to “kiss the finest girl†before going down in a blaze tonight. With cranked guitars and breakneck tempos, the music gallops forcefully but shimmers with beauty too, as in the bagpipes-enriched “Out of Our Heads†and “Rose Tattoo,†which features banjo from Winston Marshall of Mumford & Sons. “We’re gonna cause a riot / We’re gonna rip it up,†they joyfully threaten in “Out of Our Heads,†and it’s wiser to join them than to resist.
“Signed and Sealed in Bloodâ€
(Born & Bred)
Three stars (out of four)
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