 The
Tossers
"Purgatory" CD
Thick
Records
Genres: celtic-punk, punk
Apr 7 - 13 2003 |
A
follow-up to Long Dim Road, Purgatory was an album of
high expectations, but The Tossers seem to have been up to the job.
With their own brand of Celtic-styled punk, the band take an edgy,
energetic style and combine it with a more traditional song
style. Their tracks are littered with mandolin, banjo, violin,
and even the tin whistle, calling to mind the Dropkick Murphys
in numerous contexts.
The better tracks include "Chicago," a raucous,
punk-fueled tune that crashes along at an unimaginable pace, and
"Minutes on a Screen," a dark, calmer song that shows its
Celtic roots more obviously by way of a beautifully moody
atmosphere. The title-track, meanwhile, is a bit of a surprise;
it's a confronting vocal-only piece, with just T Duggins' voice
singing emotionally about the psychology of life.
Purgatory sees the band mixing punk action with the Celtic
sound perfectly. Some tracks have the mandolin and violin
rocking away at a crazed punk speed, while others are more slow and
thoughtful. Intelligent, often political lyrics make the album more meaningful
that most, and the tight instrument playing and skillful vocals also
surpass the quality of lots of punk out there. I can imagine
that the
band's style will appeal to both punk audiences and more conservative
listeners, the latter of which would be drawn in by the album's calmer bits. The more
energetic bits, meanwhile, are sure to be crowd favourites - they really just make you want to get up and dance. My
only complaint is that long bouts of listening can make their style
seem repetitively annoying. Oh yeah, and the band shouldn't have
thanked Hot Topic in their liner notes (Oh boy -Ed).
All in all, this is a fantastic album that sets the bar for celtic-punk.
Calm at times, quick and raucous at others, The Tossers have a
winner in Purgatory.
88%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
16 songs, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |
