Dropkick Murphys: Drink and Blackout

The Dropkick Murphys are living proof that punk rock, unlike driving, gets better when you add more alcohol.

But calling Blackout, the Murphys’ fourth full-length album, punk is kind of like saying the band’s members have a little bit of a drinking problem.

Since they released ‘Do or Die’ five years ago, Dropkick has a grown from a band that oscillates between punk rock and electrified traditional Irish tunes to a band that rocks a credible hybrid of both.

From the moment Al Barr crows the opening lines of ‘Worker’s Song’ another bagpipe-laced tribute to work-a-day roustabouts in the vein of ‘Heroes of our Past’ Blackout establishes itself as a uniquely Dropkick album unique in that its infectious, rhythmic guitars, whinnying bagpipes and memorable choruses can make a pasty college kid chant with the indigence of a downsized longshoreman. Not that anything like that actually happened.

‘We’re the first ones to starve, we’re the first ones to die,’ growls bassist Ken Casey, who joins Barr vocally more on this record than any of the band’s previous releases.

But despite its typical blue-collar shades, Blackout isn’t nearly as one-dimensional as the band’s past efforts. With traditional punk blazers like ‘Buried Alive’ and more sober (no pun intended) acoustic tracks like ‘World Full of Hate,’ this record harnesses the energy of the Murphys’ punkest moments (‘Do or Die’ and ‘The Gang’s All Here’) and fuses it with the more intricate songwriting of ‘Sing Loud, Sing Proud.’ The members of this South Boston septet have learned to play their instruments, and it shows.

One of the record’s sharpest moments is its title track, ‘Gonna Be a Blackout Tonight,’ featuring previously unpublished lyrics penned by American folk legend Woody Guthrie.

But, unfortunately, Blackout’s weakest spot is the first song. ‘Walk Away,’ a lyrically strong story about a man who abandons his family, is hobbled by uncharacteristically bouncy guitars better suited to bands like Good Charlotte and probably better executed, too.

But 14 tracks and 45 minutes later it’s clear Dropkick has produced its musically deepest and most singable record to date. Blackout is due out on Hellcat/Epitaph on June 10, and Dropkick will be hitting the road all summer in support of it, headlining the entire Warped Tour. And, with any luck, maybe they’ll hit Good Charlotte, too.