Album Notes

The Peelers: Liquordale

I know this album has previously been reviewed here awhile ago, but it's too fucking good to only have had one S'n'O review! One of the biggest surprises all year, I will simply call "Liquordale" an epic album. I knew after hearing their 1st mini-album "Boots & Suits" that these guys were good, but damn, I had no idea they'd be this good!! On "Boots & Suits" they mainly played traditionals and random Pogue covers. You could tell that The Peelers were a talented band still trying to develop their own distinct sound. I remember there was an original on that album that had me begging for more. Well, my wish has finally been granted.

"Liquordale" Opens up with one of my favorite instruments, the Uilleann pipe. Imagine bowing your head and taking a moment of silence while you listen to the smooth sound of the elbow pipe, when suddenly, on "The Glen Will Rise Again" the galloping drums kick in and next thing you know, you're running halfway up the wall, and slamming into everything in sight! Your dog starts barking at you, and snaps at that favorite hard-to-find Pogues T-shirt you're wearing, before you finally calm down and return to a normal sane level of reality, and remind the dog to only bark & snap at the jackass neighbor kids across the street who enjoy asking me on a daily basis what I think of that watered-down pop-punk band, A Simple Plan...(For the record, They fucking suck, now quit talking to me, and wait patiently for your fucking school bus!) Err--Sorry 'bout that! Back to the album review...

The third track, "Katie Bar The Door" Has more or less, a nautical theme regarding coffin ships bound for Australia. Another standout is "The Sons Of Molly" obviously a Molly Maguire song that blends into "Catharsis" that for the record contains some kick ass fiddle work that had me stomping my foot so hard, I had to board up the hole I made in the floor. The thing I really noticed about the new version of "I'll Meet You At The Bottle Of A Bottle" is how quickly these guys are becoming a top-notch Celt-Punk band. It probably helps that the main man behind the band, Dave Barton, was raised on a steady diet of The Pogues & The Clash. Not to leave any of the other band members out, the entire band sound about as tight as a ducks ass floating down some white water rapids 3 minutes after those jackass neighbor kids gave it an alka-seltzer.. Err-- sorry 'bout that...

The Peelers do a great version of the traditional ditty, "The Little Beggarman" I especially enjoyed the squeezebox. On the tenth track, "Savannah (You've Been Good To Me)" I couldn't agree more! After spending some time down there recently, I agree completely! (No, I don't work for the Savannah Chamber Of Commerce, but if you've never been to "The Jewel of the South" before, I HIGHLY recommend checking it out!) On St. Paddy's Day, Savannah grows from 200,000 to well over 450,000, claiming to hold the nation's 2nd largest (per capita) Paddy's Day festivities. It might just be southern folklore, but fuck it, the place is great anyway. Lyrically, my favorite track has to be "Plastic Paddy" Which is basically a song about being a drunken plastic paddy. Great stuff indeed.

So there you have it, The Peelers great album "Liqourdale". An album so great it had to reviewed twice for Shite'n'Onions! If that doesn't give you at least some sort of clue that this album is worth it, then maybe you should smack yourself silly in the face with a bat that has a crooked rusty nail sticking out of it and read this review again. Better yet, let me do it. Because after I raise the Jolly Roger flag & chase those jackass neighbor kids away from my front lawn with an 18th century cannonball blast I attached to my porch, I'll be all warmed up & ready to go!

Review by: Brian "Grumpy Neighbor" Gillespie
www.shitenonions.com