Retrospective: Flogging Molly (Part 2)

After a long (forced) break, I am back with the thrilling conclusion to the Flogging Molly story.

Within A Mile of Home (2004)
Within A Mile of Home was the first Flogging Molly album that I heard. A friend of mine in my art class had it in her CD player, I proceeded to borrow it every day for a week, before she burnt me my own copy. That semester alone I must have listened to the album a dozen times, most times in art class, and almost never getting past the ninth track. The first eight songs matched up so well with the length of class that, by the end of the year, I knew all the words to tracks one through eight, and almost nothing of everything past nine. Fortunately it's been five years at this point, so I have heard every track numerous times.
My favorite tracks still fall within the first half, but are now well encompassed within the entire album as well. It would alot easier to name the songs I like less then the rest; "Queen Anne's Revenge" isn't too bad but it is uncharacteristically darker then the rest of the album, "The Wanderlust" annoys me for some reason, but after listening to their acoustic album, Whiskey On A Sunday, I enjoy the acoustic version much more, the last song I don't like is "The Spoken Wheel," it just doesn't seem like much of a song to me, more of a poem someone wrote that they decided to add a tune too.
That's it, out of fifteen songs, I really enjoy twelve of them. This still is my favorite Flogging Molly album, even after hearing the rest of their works. I'd suggest starting your Flogging Molly career on this album.

1. "Screaming at the Wailing Wall" – 3:41
2. "Seven Deadly Sins" – 2:50
3. "Factory Girls" – 3:51
4. "To Youth (My Sweet Roisin Dubh)" – 3:17
5. "Whistles the Wind" – 4:32
6. "Light of a Fading Star" – 3:52
7. "Tobacco Island" – 5:17
8. "The Wrong Company" – 0:36
9. "Tomorrow Comes a Day Too Soon" – 3:32
10. "Queen Anne's Revenge" – 3:06
11. "The Wanderlust" – 3:31
12. "Within a Mile of Home" – 3:53
13. "The Spoken Wheel" – 2:13
14. "With a Wonder and a Wild Desire" – 3:40
15. "Don't Let Me Die Still Wondering" – 4:17

2006 - Whiskey On A Sunday (Acoustic/Live Album)
Whiskey On A Sunday is a CD/DVD combo, to give alternate versions of their most popular songs. It's a half-and-half acoustic and live album, with only one studio track, a re-recording of "Laura" from their first album, the live Alive Behind The Green Door (remember I talked about that one?). I feel that this is the weakest of their albums, not being a fan of acoustic or live. The one stand-out is "Laura," I love this new version and after I hear it I end up singing the chorus to myself for the rest of the day (I am humming it right now as I write this). The only other song I like off this release is the acoustic version of "The Wanderlust," but I feel that is because I am not a fan of the studio version. I have noticed that of the acoustic songs I hear, the majority that I enjoy are alternate versions of songs I don't much care for when recorded in the studio. I just think my mind can't handle enjoying the same song two different ways - one has to be better. But anyway, if you like acoustic music check out Whiskey On A Sunday.

1. "Laura" – 4:15
2. "Drunken Lullabies" (Acoustic) – 4:55
3. "The Wanderlust" (Acoustic) – 3:37
4. "Another Bag of Bricks" (Acoustic) – 4:05
5. "Tomorrow Comes a Day Too Soon" (Acoustic) – 3:39
6. "The Likes of You Again" (Live) – 4:08
7. "Swagger" (Live) – 2:14
8. "Black Friday Rule" (Live) – 11:57
9. "Within a Mile of Home" (Live) – 4:34
10. "What's Left of the Flag" (Live) – 4:13

2007 - Complete Control Sessions (Live EP)
Complete Control Sessions is an online-only EP, originally only releases on iTunes but has sense been distributed to all the online music stores. This is the only Flogging Molly release that I have not heard (yet), and so I have very little to say. Because it is a live album, and I've already stated that I dislike live albums, I am in no particular rush to find this EP, but I assume I will eventually.

1. "Requiem for a Dying Song" - 3:29
2. "Whistles the Wind" - 4:06
3. "Tobacco Island" - 4:30
4. "Factory Girls" - 3:55
5. "Float" - 4:48
6. "Devil's Dance Floor" - 3:49

2008 - Float
The band's latest release, Float, is alot more rock-oriented then their others. I haven't listened to this albums nearly as much as the others, only once or twice sense I got it last fall. But even though it is my least known of the Flogging Molly discography, it is one of their most solid album. There is not one song on this disc that I dislike. My favorites are the rocky "Requiem for a Dying Song" and the re-recording of "Between a Man and a Woman" from their debut live album. This album is a great return to their Celtic-punk roots, after four years of silence, not counting their Acoustic album and live EP. I look forward to their next release, hopefully sooner rather then later.

1. "Requiem for a Dying Song" - 3:30
2. "(No More) Paddy's Lament" - 3:24
3. "Float" - 4:53
4. "You Won't Make a Fool Out of Me" - 2:43
5. "The Lightning Storm" - 3:29
6. "Punch Drunk Grinning Soul" - 4:20
7. "Us of Lesser Gods" - 3:19
8. "Between a Man and a Woman" - 3:21
9. "From The Back of a Broken Dream" - 3:21
10. "Man With No Country" - 3:04
11. "The Story So Far" - 4:11

So there it is, my two-month long project that should have taken only a week. I am just really bad at keeping up a schedule. I have so many ideas but no drive to do them...