10,000 Shots, Real McKenzies, 2005, :30
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
I'm a long time fan of these guys. Loud guitars and caterwauling bagpipes and Paul McKenzie's drunken guttural vocals. Mostly songs about drinking and touring ("Pour decisions, a punk musician just ain't as cute at 53 / I have forsaken money makin' / Yeah, you still wish you were me"), plus traditional folk songs all revved up. If you don’t like loud guitar and caterwauling bagpipes and gruff vocals, don't worry. You can listen to, uh, one song; the final track, "the Catalpa," is a traditional Irish song to the tune of "The Boys of Kilmichael," and sung here in a straightforward, pleasant acoustic style. So, why on earth didn’t they put the pretty funny "Bugger Off," a foul-mouthed love/hate valediction to their audience, at the end of the album? Favorite tracks: "Smokin' Bowl," "Farewell to Nova Scotia," "Pour Decisions."
