Flogging Molly

Los Angeles’ Flogging Molly has managed to strike a near-perfect balance of punk rock and traditional Irish music on discs like 2002’s Drunken Lullabies and 2004’s Within A Mile Of Home, with tin whistles and fiddles fighting to be heard over crashing guitars. It doesn’t hurt that bandleader Dave King has more than a little of St. MacGowan in his roaring Celtic vocals. The band’s 2008 politically-tinged album, Float, was its first to actually be recorded in Ireland. Flogging Molly headed back stateside for the recording of its most recent studio full-length album, 2011’s Speed Of Darkness. The disc’s first single, “Don’t Shut ’Em Down,” is a slick, bouncy slice of pop-punk, and a good indication of the more radio-friendly sound the band is currently exploring.

Updated 03/02/2012