'Murphys progress sound with anthems and whistles

In the Irish spirit of finding any reason to celebrate, the Dropkick Murphys drops its latest album, "The Meanest of Times," just in time for halfway to St. Patrick's Day festivals and Ryan's Daughter drink specials. The album runs with the same blood, force, and Jameson of their previous five studio albums, kicking up fast tunes that take no prisoners.

For those not familiar with this group of Boston punk rockers, you many recall their song "Tessie" featured in Boston Red Sox themed film, "Fever Pitch," or the better known "Shipping off to Boston" theme song from the Academy Award winning film "The Departed." The Murphys have been playing since 1996 and are well known for playing Warped Tour and annually at multiple sold out St. Patrick's Day shows in Boston

Fans that have criticized their 2005 release of "Warriors Code" as being too pop-oriented are sure to like how they have returned to an older sound similar to their 2003 album "Blackout." That's not to say that there are not plenty of fist-raising sing-along choruses, however.

The sound has progressed a bit as well. There is a noteworthy increase in plucked mandolin. As expected, crunchy guitar and fast paced drums push their way to the forefront. However, there is a steady amount of background bagpipes and tin whistle which make them stand out from the average punk rock act.

Lyrically, the Murphys stick to their old formula of songs about remembering where they come from, family, drinking and barroom brawls. One thing that should be commended is that they can take the dark subjects of death, struggle and the current state of the world and turn them into fun and hard-rocking songs. These anthems will fit perfectly into Dropkick's repertoire of hard hymns.

Standout tracks on the album include "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya," which is set to the music of the children's song "The Ants Go Marching" and the album's single "The State of Massachusetts." The most musically unique song is "Flannigan's Ball," which is very distinctive in its stripped song structure and special guest singers.

For fans of Rancid, Flogging Molly, and Gogol Bordello this album will surely get you drunk. The entire album will be streamed on their Myspace.com page this week, with its release on Tuesday. You can also check them out at Rams Head Live! on Monday.