- Release date:
- July 8, 2008
- Artist/Band name:
- Street Dogs
- Record label:
- Hellcat
- Official Web Site:
- http://www.street-dogs.com/
Backstory: Although the music world doesn’t really need more Irish-inflected punk rock, Boston’s Street Dogs deserve a pass; frontman Mike McColgan was the original lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys. On the band’s fourth album, they continue to draw inspiration from ‘80s hardcore, the Pogues and classic rock.
Why you should care: Thankfully, this isn’t all bagpipes and speedy three chord punk; for every by-the-numbers (in a good way) sing-along like “Two Angry Kids” or the cover of the Skids’ “Into the Valley,” there’s some pleasant diversions, like the Billy Squier–like guitars and dance grooves built into “Rebel Song” or the folk-rock acoustics of “Elizabeth.” McColgan’s working class ethos, meanwhile, give the songs a real grounded feel: most tracks on “Grace” revolve around passed-away family members or inner city struggles (such as the self-explanatory “Guns” or the why-can’t-we-get-along “San Patricios”).
Verdict: The band isn’t, admittedly, reinventing the wheel; but they are revitalizing a CBGB-style punk rock spirit in an honest and catchy way.
X-Factor: McColgan actually quit the Dropkick Murphys in 1998, after one album, to become a firefighter. Even during the first two Street Dogs records, he continued to serve in the Boston Fire Department.
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