Dropkick Murphys: Going Out In Style

With their seventh studio album, the Dropkick Murphys have set yet another milestone in their breathtaking career to date. Produced by Ted Hutt, *Going Out In Style* features the band’s signature blend of energetic punk rock, folk-soul, Irish spirit, and American rock ’n’ roll. A good 45-minute party that makes you forget all others—one that, true to Irish tradition, knows how to transform stories of triumph and tragedy into rousing music. With this Boston folk-punk band, one anthem follows another: from the opener, the battle-cry-like “Hang ’em High,” to the labor anthem “Take ’em Down,” all the way to more experimental songs like “Broken Hymns” and “Cruel.” In terms of content, “Going Out In Style” follows the old storytelling tradition in which, as with James Joyce’s “Finnegans Wake,” the author is inspired by a song. Here, it is the fictional story of the emigrant Cornelius Larkin that guides the listener through the album. The album also features guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Fat Mike (of NOFX), Chris Cheney (of The Living End), and actor and comedian Lenny Clarke. It was the band’s most successful album to date and debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart.