To say that Flogging Molly's songs all sound the same is essentially correct, for better or worse. But is that same-ness necessarily a bad thing? On their latest album, "Float," the Celtic punk rockers try something slightly new, but their call for change goes unanswered.
The album's first track, "Requiem for a Dying Song," is both a change in style for the band as well as a demand for political change. The lyrics are a not-so-subtle (or controversial, for that matter) rejection of the current situation in Iraq. Singer Dave King proclaims his "Requiem for a dying song/ With a shimmy and a shank from a futile war." Here the band is treading on dangerous ground. The word "shank" is more likely to be interpreted as "shake," and if a band tells you to "shimmy and shake" and it's not a rap song from the early '90s, you know something has gone terribly wrong.
"Requiem" also differs musically from what listeners are used to hearing from Flogging Molly. The band has always set itself apart from other bands of the same genre by insisting on a double-time drumbeat over an acoustic-led guitar and violin section. This technique gave them their trademark sound that was the perfect combination of punk and folk. The beat made listeners thrash around in the mosh pit while the melodies inspired them to sing along.
In "Requiem," however, aside from the thick Irish accent, it is difficult to tell the difference between Flogging Molly and any dime-a-dozen power-pop group. The slower beat, which relies a little too heavily on the crash cymbal along with the heavily distorted power chords, seriously detracts from the band's style. More than anything else, this new approach makes listeners question whether the band is looking to get noticed by a major label. After their enormous success on SideOneDummy, the band would be foolish to think they would have anything else to gain by making their sound more "accessible."
As quickly as they lost it, the band regains its credibility with the album's second track, "(No More) Paddy's Lament." The song's opening tune is highly reminiscent of one of Flogging Molly's great songs, "Devil's Dance Floor," to the extent that, if it followed any other track, it would sound too derivative. But after teasing fans with "Requiem for a Dying Song," the band rightly reminds listeners that it does in fact have a pretty good formula, even if it limits its sound. As the quick banjo riff transitions into an acoustic guitar- and violin-driven verse over a blinding beat, it becomes clear that the old Flogging Molly is back, while King quite appropriately sings "Don't look back."
The rest of the album continues in this style with songs like "Punch Drunk Grinning Soul" and "From the Back of a Broken Dream," throwing in an obligatory slow, pretty song here and there. In an unusual achievement, the album's biggest standout track fits into this category. Without going as far as to label it a "power ballad," "Us of Lesser Gods" begins with just a banjo and guitar and slowly builds up, adding a drumbeat and slightly louder lyrics. The lyrics seem cliché at first, as King sings "Take me back/ Take me back to the way life used to be," but then turn darker: "Dark is the shallow man/ Proud without pride/ Come down from your heaven, Lord/ And let me show you hell on Earth," and more realistic: "Take me back/ To the way life's never been." The song has enough depth to have an impact but is simple enough for maximum listenability.
As strange as it might sound, "Float" isn't a good album because it does something new or different; it's a good album because, for the most part, it sticks to the same formula that has worked so well in Flogging Molly's three other major releases. Perhaps it takes a botched effort like "Requiem for a Dying Song" to make fans realize that Flogging Molly's trademark sound is worth keeping. So although it may not apply to the band's political message, as far as its music is concerned, this country isn't ready for change. For now, more of the same was just what the doctor ordered.
