With anything Irish, there's always an element of "what the fuck?" wherever we happen to show our pasty freckled faces, so it should be of surprise to no one that the Pogues are invariably multifaceted in this respect. I mean, really, myself and Master Cianan are ample enough of a problem to the world, jettisoning our delectable snark or poo onto unsuspecting citizens like drunken clowns; can you imagine an army of like replicates? Madness... Joking aside, because I've gone completely off subject, the Pogues meld traditional Irish folk melodies and harmonies with a potent musical ferocity akin to the punk of the Sex Pistols, courtesy of resident lyricist/vocalist Shane MacGowan. That's right: this is Irish folk music that will grab you by the throat and crush it. Don't believe me? Imagine a perfectly symmetrical box. Then listen to "Waxie's Dargle." Is the box still there, or has it turn into a collapsed squiggle of lines? I admit for some the thick slurring of seeming vocables may be a bit much at first, but who would you rather recite you lyrical poetry: a drooling drunken Dionysus or a sober stoic Antisthenes? MacGowan's no whiskey tenor, and his occasional gruffness might repel some, but that's the price you pay for singing it honest. Other faves: "Transmetropolitan," "Streams Of Whiskey," "Greenland Whale Fisheries," etc. Oh, "Battle Of Brisbane, too. You can only fault yourself for not listening to this hereafter. B
2 comments:
The thing about Irish music is that a little goes a long way. And the way that plays out with the Pogues and their crossover stylings, for me anyway, is that they and only they can pull it off. Since they did it first, god help you if you try to make me listen to the Dropkick Murphys or to Flogging Molly. Shane McGowan planted the flag, and I will throw that in anyone's face immediately prior to me throwing their CD out the window. The Pogues are awesome. The pretenders to their legacy are hackneyed and suffer from a grand lack of depth musically and lyrically. McGowan's farts (and teeth) have more soul.
Flogging Molly isn't that terrible, but point taken. Did I tell you that it was Casey who introduced me to them? Otherwise, not even fucking close. The Pogues are without equal.
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