On St. Pat's Day and the day after St. Urho's Day I have the Guinness, I have the Salmiakki chocolate and albums by ethnic Irish, English musicians. I've been reading a book called
Irish Blood, English Heart focused on Kevin Rowland, Shane MacGowan and Morrissey + Johnny Marr in regards to their Irish blood and how it reflects on their persona and music in the English cultural scene of the 80's. Sounds boring but it's not bad, but the glossary is actually half the length.
Morrissey,
Vauxhall and I This album kind of sounds like a music video on early morning TV in the early 2000's with VCR quality and 9-10 AM shots of New York. One of my favorite aesthetics of all time. Morrissey's 4th album is a nice sounding production, with bright instrumentation, a clear sound and a fair set of tunes. Not to bring this up again, but the thing I found missing in his solo music is the second song. In the Smiths there was two tunes between the vocals and guitar, but in Morrissey's solo music the instrumentation is more so a texture for the singing and lyrics. The acoustics, strings and all sound great here, it just sets the mood and never oversteps. The tone is just like sunrise, with a vivid feeling on tracks like "Used to Be a Sweet Boy". It's a consistent record, and overall better song for song than the previous release Your Arsenal, even if it lacks a song as good as "The National Front Disco". Overall I enjoy the album, the sound is nice, it's a fairly calm album as a whole, not bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVZjEyB5ChA Dexys Midnight Runner,
Searching For The Young Soul Rebels Hell, I didn't think this was going to be this good an album from reading the chapter in Irish Blood, English Heart. Searching For The Young Soul Rebels is a blast, a fast paced and urgent album with a lot of energy and fire. The horns are great, and every track they provide an interesting sound. The bass is great, and the music just moves. It has a great sound, with fine song craft. Kevin Rowland is an interesting vocalist with lots of personality. "Tell Me When My Light Turns Green" is a jam, really liked that one, and pretty well every song on the record. Sometimes the vocals are too whiny for me, but as a whole this was an unexpectedly awesome album. I need it in my collection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mYxZUJt4xc The Pogues,
Red Roses For Me Oh, so the tooth missing guy is the singer in this band. "Transmetropolitan" is an amazing open, a fast paced drunken jam with banjos on fire. The opening sequence is odd, with an instrumental and very slow song following. But once things settle you find a great Celtic Punk album, with all the traditional Irish instrumentation and feel with a drunk brawling attitude. It sounds like a green sunny field in a fantasy land, where you stumble to an ol' wooden pub and drink out of wooden glasses, and brawl with gingers and get the black plague or something. There is a lot of class and taste to the sound actually, I love the flutes, banjos and Celtic instrumentation, especially how it contrasts with the vocals, which are not
that outrageous. The album has it's moments, it's not amazing as a whole and you kind of get the point by the middle. Still a cool stylistic mix-up that the band might of originated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxv0t7lVKgM The Clash,
Give Em Enough Rope Out of the ethnic Irish streak to general British. The Clash's second album is a pretty awesome set of rock songs. With an awesome guitar sound, well crafted song full of punk energy but the same craftsmanship present on London Calling, just less refined. I need to say it again, the guitar sound is deadly on this record, it sounds so rad and pops through the mix with a mighty tone, oh my God I love that tone. So many great songs like "Safe European Home", "Drug-Stabbing Time", "Stay Free" and "Guns On The Roof". Lots of rock n' roll riffing, and the vocals are full of passion. There are some twists and different kinds of songs, but when this thing rocks...it rocks. The drums are so great also! I love the rhythm, especially on tracks like "Stay Free" where the simple riff locks right in with the drums "do do" "crash" "do do" "crash". The bass just goes off at times as well. This is just an awesome rock n' roll album, really like this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56YW42FMqek