{"id":6166,"date":"2021-05-05T14:50:58","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T13:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=6166"},"modified":"2021-05-05T14:51:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T13:51:00","slug":"dropkick-murphys-roll-back-the-years-with-new-album-turn-up-that-dial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=6166","title":{"rendered":"Dropkick Murphys roll back the years with new album Turn Up That Dial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ALBUM REVIEW: Dropkick Murphys – Turn Up That Dial (Born & Bred Records)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Celtic punks Dropkick Murphys<\/a><\/strong> have been one of my favourite bands for 20 years, but I was underwhelmed by their last couple of albums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know a band of their vintage aren’t going to make another Do Or Die<\/em>, Sing Loud Sing Proud<\/em> or even a Blackout<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But their previous album, 2017’s 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory<\/em>, made me wonder if their best days were behind them. It seemed to lack focus and energy, and, most important of all, tunes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Return to form<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Certainly, the days when they’d come up with a throwback to their early hardcore\/streetpunk days with a song like Citizen CIA<\/em> were long gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that this 10th studio album has recaptured their verve, and knack of blending punk with traditional Irish music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"dropkick
Turn Up That Dial is the Dropkick Murphys’ 10th studio album.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Turn Up That Dial<\/em> celebrates the joy of forgetting your troubles with the help of uplifting music. After the last 12 months that’s certainly something most people will identify with. I know I can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five of the 11 tracks were drip-fed out as singles, and while none were instant earworms, they work much better as part of an album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The core quartet of Al Barr (vocals) Ken Casey (bass\/vocals), Matt Kelly (drums) and James Lynch (guitar) has been in place 20-odd years now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s go Murphys<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even ‘new boys’ Tim Brennan and Jeff DaRosa, both multi-instrumentalists, have been Murphys since 2004 and 2007 respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is a band who know each other inside out, which will have helped enormously given the challenges posed by socially-distanced recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening track Turn Up That Dial <\/em>lays down the record’s entire ethos in the first verse: \u201cYou\u2019re my inspiration, you got something to say\/Now turn up that dial \u2018til it takes me away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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