Street Dogs

More shout-alongs courtesy of Boston’s Street Dogs, and for their self-titled fifth album, the Hellcat recording artists show no signs of slowing. The former members of Dropkick Murphys, Welt, and the Bruisers are as rowdy and invigorated as ever. Apart from Mike McColgan’s voice sounding a little more husky with age, and new drummer Paul Rucker (who replaces ex-Mighty Mighty Bosstones drummer Joe Sirois) behind the set, it’s just another day for the Irish-American lads. With the type of crowd-rousing, drunken, bagpipe punk that Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, and Scotch Greens deliver, McColgan takes issue with the system: targeting corporate greed (“Up the Union [EFCA]”), media overload (“Too Much Information”), fraudulent stock brokers (“Hang Him High [65 Billion]”), Oregon’s lousy economy (“Portland”), and FM radio programming (“Poor Jimmy”) in his lyrics. But to quote, “It doesn't really matter what the singer says, as long as punk rock is beating in those heads.” ~ Jason Lymangrover