Flogging Molly

Dave King, frontman for L.A.'s Flogging Molly, writes the lyrics for his songs on a manual typewriter that was made in 1916, the year of The Easter Rising, the rebellion that kicked off modern Ireland's struggle to free itself from British rule. That touchstone of rebellion is mirrored in the music on Float. The band's blend of acoustic (guitar, fiddle, accordion, mandolin, drums) and electric (guitar, bass) instruments gives them a unique sound, and they sing and play with enough fury to make the Guinness in your pint glass boil. King's vocals are marked by an almost incoherent rage (intensified by the impressionistic lyrics), but like the rest of us, the Mollys have plenty to be angry about. "On the Back of a Broken Dream" protests the war in Iraq with a slightly different slant, addressing the fate of the soldiers who return to a country that seems indifferent to their sacrifices, while "Man With No Country" and "Us of Lesser Gods" do what the band does so well, hoisting a middle finger to the powers that be. The band plays with passion, thanks largely to Bridget Regan's searing fiddle and George Schwindt's relentless drumming.