Album Review: Street Dogs "Street Dogs"

by: Ashley Burdette

Boston-based Street Dogs (fronted by former Dropkick Murphys singer, Mike McColgan) released their fifth album at the end of August, which has been a great soundtrack for the beginning of the school year. It will draw you in from the very first riff and shrill of the bagpipes, making you want to drink green beer, slap on some Mardi Gras beads and have a Boondock Saints marathon in your dorm room. Following the traditional punk format, none of the tracks are longer than three minutes and roll right into each other with perfection. They’re the kind of songs on your iPod that make you walk, or tap your hand on the steering wheel, a bit faster to keep in time with the music.

There is a balance though, if you want to listen to something a bit slower and more ‘ballad-y’, check out “Bobby Powers”, “10 Wood Rd.”, or “Poor, Poor Jimmy”— as opposed to “Punk Rock and Roll”, “Ghosts”, or “Portland”, which will definitely wake you up in the morning and get you going. Interwoven between the rather catchy beats and raw energy are political messages about the economy, something we all hate to talk about but deal with every day, making the members of Street Dogs seem like guys you could see yourself hanging out with in a garage somewhere on Route 421, not ‘rockstars’. This album could easily become a staple in every punks’ music collection, especially if you’re into Flogging Molly, Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, or (dare I say it?) ... Good Charlotte. So, I raise a toast to Street Dogs: may the next album be even more awesome, sláinte. 8.9/10

Album Picks: "Yesterday," "Harpo," "Ten Wood Rd."