Rum, Sodomy The Lash

Description

RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH delivers on the brash promise of its predecessor, RED ROSES FOR ME, mixing the bands unique brand of traditional Irish instrumentation and composition with Shane MacGowans timeless poetry. As the mythic introduction of the albums opener, The Sickbed Of Cuchulainn crashes into its heaving, breakneck-speed verse, RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH is a hurtling juggernaut of Celtic soul, fierce and unrelenting. Its lyrics are the very stuff of Irish song and story: cruelty, human suffering, poverty and more than a few whiskeys along the way. Produced by none other than Elvis Costello (who here met his future wife, bassist Cait ORiordan), this album boasts a feel that is close-up enough to be intimidating. Though on slower numbers such as ORiordans enchanting take on the traditional Im A Man You dont Meet Every Day, this closeness perfectly captures the vulnerability of both song and singer. With lyrical references to drug addiction, vagrancy and prostitution (The Old Main Drag), MacGowan touches on themes usually left out of the Clancy Brothers songbook. This frank, realistic and ultimately reverent take on the Irish musical tradition lends the Pogues a refreshing modernity.