Record Label: Side One Dummy
Genre: Celtic Punk
Band Link: link
Buy on Amazon.com link

Flogging Molly have proven to many that they are one of the best live bands in music today. They also have proven that they are at the top of the list when it comes to Celtic Punk bands. Of course the Pogues will always be at the very top but Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly are right underneath. Many bands after that try to sound like the Pogues, Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. But what Flogging Molly have done is stand out among the other bands in the growing Celtic Punk scene. With their latest album “Float,” they provide their usual mixture of punk rock, folk and traditional Irish music but their sound has matured for the better. Musically, lyrically and just their overall style have gotten so much better with “Float.”

With “Float,” the band doesn’t skip a beat and goes right into the fast Celtic Punk music with “Requiem for a Dying Song.” This song may not be new to some fans who got the band’s limited edition iTunes EP but this is the first time many of us are hearing the studio version. Hearing this song live and on the album, it just sounds excellent and is put together really well. One thing I noticed is how mature the band sounds now. While they never really sounded chaotic; their music just seems to blend a lot better now. With this album, the band seemed to focus on the Irish folk part of their music, and that might be because they recorded this in Ireland. I think by far the best track on the album is the title track, “Float.” I just love the violin playing on it and it’s especially enjoyable to hear live as well. I’m not sure if this album is Flogging Molly’s best album to date, but you can certainly tell the band is taking their music very seriously and it shows. If you haven’t seen the band on tour yet, be sure to do so because they play some of these tracks on their latest tour. You should also buy this album if you call yourself a Flogging Molly fan.

Bottom Line: A fantastic follow up to ‘Within a Mile of Home’
Notable Tracks: Requiem for A Dying Song, Float, Paddy’s Lament, On The Back of a Broken Dream, Man with No Country
Overall Rating: