Although he has been gone for 55 years, it is not surprising that Woody Guthrie has left his mark on the minds of the members of Dröpkick Murphys. The Okemah, Oklahoma native was a protestor and advocate of working class and working class people, and inspired many committed folk artists such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and more recently Bruce Springsteen. However, although the musical style of the Boston gang is often more radical, the political and social commitment of its members also makes them worthy heirs of the rebel poet. So when the latter's daughter made available to them some unpublished lyrics she had found in her archives, it didn't take long for the project of putting them to music to take hold in the mind of Ken Casey's band.
Inspired by the inscription that Woody Guthrie often wore on his guitar, This Machine Kills Fascists, the Dröpkick Murphys' new opus contrasts with the rest of their discography and should probably be followed by a second volume. Indeed, if the punk spirit of the sextet is prevalent in the lyrics, the latter are proposed in an exclusively acoustic format, which contrasts with the euphoric and festive tornado of "Turn Up That Dial". And yet, if the instrumental packaging is lighter, the contagious energy is still present and the anger transpires from most of the ten tracks that compose this "This Machine Still Kills Fascists". The vindictive 'Ten Times More' chanted on percussions occupying almost all the instrumental space is a perfect example. The same goes for 'All You Fonies', a euphoric and unifying anthem that turns despair into celebration with a chorus that parodies Guthrie's 'All You Fascists Bound To Lose' from 1944.
In the middle of the tracks denouncing the condition of the left-behind of the American society, the Dröpkick Murphys slip some more tenderizing pieces such as the ballad 'Never Git Drunk No More' with humorous lyrics and which sees Nikki Lane joining the sextet. Just as amusing, 'Cadillac Cadillac' handles the second degree on a very rockabilly base while 'Where Trouble Is At' unleashes again the Celtic ardor so characteristic of the Boston gang. However, even if this title is the closest to what Ken Casey and his band are used to offer us, it's impossible not to recognize their touch on the whole album. Beyond the frontman's so personal and fierce vocals, there is this capacity of the Americans to always find the unstoppable chorus. And above all, who else can transmit messages so full of claims and denunciations while almost systematically triggering an irresistible desire to party while downing a few pints with friends?
"This Machine Still Kills Fascists" succeeds perfectly in paying tribute to Woody Guthrie by reminding us that his fights are still relevant today. It also proves that by interpreting these titles in acoustic mode, the Dröpkick Murphys didn't lose any of their legendary energy.