Flatfoot 56 - Black Thorn

Artist: Flatfoot 56

Album: Black Thorn

Release Date: 3/30/10

Label: Old Shoe Records

Celtic punk rock is an interesting genre. Picture the likes of MxPx accompanied with mandolins and bagpipes and you get Flatfoot 56. They are not everyone's cup of tea, more of a band where you need to like the style specifically to enjoy the full sound. The lyrics and vocals are strong, but the music itself doesn't quite catch me.

Songs like the title track embrace the mandolin as a key part of the album, along with the gang vocals and chugging lyrics, where "Smoke Blower" utilizes the use of bagpipes to bring the strong Celtic sound of the Chicago natives' sound. Among the fast paced tracks come the acoustic ballad "Shiny Eyes" which is one of the strongest and slowest songs on the album.

Rating: 6/10 Something with Black Thorn from Celtic punk rockers Flatfoot 56 just didn't seem to click with me. They certainly have a strong punk sound but just not of my kind. Not the best album, but not the worst either. There are a batch of strong tracks, found in the likes of "Smoke Blower" and "Shiny Eyes."

Tracklisting:

1. The Escape (Intro)
2. Black Thorn
3. Born For This
4. Courage
5. Smoke Blower
6. The Hourglass
7. Shiny Eyes
8. We Grow Stronger
9. Son of Shame
10. Stampede
11. You Won Me Over
12. Way of the Sun
13. Hot Head

(Buy Here)