The Real McKenzies

Westwinds

Written by: PP on 21/06/2012 17:16:53

Whether or not you like The Real McKenzies and their eighth studio album "Westwinds" will largely depend on your opinion on bagpipes. Some people (like this scribe) love the melancholic, slightly whiny sound of the Scottish instrument, whereas others cannot stand its tone and pitch, stating that they feel like they're going insane whenever it's being used (you can blame "Amazing Grace" for that, I suppose). Here, on "Westwinds", bagpipes are the main instrument driving forward the celtic folk punk sound of the band, which hasn't changed much ever since their inception back in the 90s. They play your standard Fat Wreck melodic punk rock, except with a distinctly Scottish sound to it.

But unlike Flogging Molly, The Real McKenzies don't go all out on the folk punk theme. Although the bagpipes are in a prominent role throughout the record, the band's rhythmic texture and melodies are otherwise more similar to street punk bands like Street Dogs, Swingin' Utters and that sort of thing. Of course, there are your more folksy songs as well with acoustic guitars driving the songs forward, such as "I Do What I Want", which is a song hard to take seriously because the chorus goes like this: "I do what i want / whenever I like / because its my right / I don’t ever want to do what i told". Anyone reminded of this South Park parody of spoiled teenage brats from American reality TV shows? But otherwise, the songs have a much milder folk punk vibe than Flogging Molly, and are more akin to bands like Dropkick Murphys in their sound.

The Real McKenzies have been a band for 20 years now, but they've never reached the same success as the aforementioned bands, and "Westwinds" provides the perfect example why. The songs are solid, folksy street punk songs with a Scottish theme, with decent melodies providing a consistent sound throughout, but they are rarely better than 'decent'. Where Dropkicks have their "I'm Shipping Up To Boston"s and "Walk Away"s, The Real McKenzies lack behind with songs that carry true hit potential. Now, that doesn't make them a bad band rather than just a band one or two steps down the ladder from the best groups in the genre. "Westwinds" doesn't change their situation at all: it's an okay album, but it can't touch the best bands in the genre.

Download: Fool's Road, The Message, My Luck Is So Bad
For the fans of: Dropkick Murphys, The Mahones, The Tossers, Flatfoot 56
Listen: Facebook

Release date 27.03.2012
Fat Wreck Chords

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