Street Dogs galore

Good day, children. Today you get a crash course in Street Dogs.

This year the Bostoners released their self-titled fifth album, their best yet. This is the band singer Mike McColgan formed after he left Dropkick Murphys in 1998 (to be replaced by Al Barr of The Bruisers). He left the band to become a firefighter, but the desire to play music didn't keep him away from the stage for long.

Just like Dropkick Murphys, Street Dogs combine rousing punk rock with Irish folk influences, though unlike the Murphys this band tends to focus predominantly on the former component, and less on the latter. You'll find few bagpipes and tin whistles here. Though you might get the occasional accordion.

They sing about a lot of the same themes too: working class pride, hardships and triumphs, sports, fighting in wars (which McColgan himself did during the first Gulf war), drinking, raising hell, and a forlorn love song or two.

I collected my favorite tracks from all of their five albums - Savin Hill (2003), Back To The World (2005), Fading American Dream (2006), State Of Grace (2008) and Street Dogs (2010). All in all 53 minutes of catchy, fist-pumping, beer-swigging, singalong-y party punk.

If you have any form of appreciation for Dropkick Murphys, The Pogues, The Gaslight Anthem, Social Distortion, The Ducky Boys, Flogging Molly or just good times in general, you oughta be all over this.

(zip) Metal Bastard's Street Dogs Compilation (80 mb)

1. Mean fist
2. You alone
3. Punk rock and roll
4. The shape of other men
5. Tales of mass deception
6. Elizabeth
7. Drink tonight
8. Rights to your soul
9. Too much info
10. Don't preach to me
11. Hard luck kid
12. 2 bottles
13. Pull the pin
14. Ghosts
15. Free
16. Harpo
17. Final transmission
18. 10 Wood Rd.
19. Borstal breakout (Boston version)
20. Poor poor Jimmy

Buy the albums, fool.