Dropkick Murphys – This Machine Still Kills Fascists

It can be hard to connect with the past, even if it’s become newly relevant. This isn’t just superficial pop trends, but indeed the much deeper political trends, these days ranging from the return of fascism to the return of unions. But Dropkick Murphys are one of the acts better suited for such a job, their workingman’s punk and Celtic roots earned. And they turned to one of the greatest songsmiths of any century, Woody Guthrie, taking unused lyrics of his and turning them into acoustic songs for This Machine Still Kills Fascists.

Unlike the Billy Bragg & Wilco alt-country take on Guthrie in their pair of Mermaid Avenue albums, this is Dropkick Murphys delivering a much grittier vision of the past. That vision ranges from life time jail sentences (“Two 6’s Upside Down”) to unions (“All You Fonies”) to fascists (“Dig a Hole”, that starts with a recording of Guthrie himself telling “Mr. Hitler” himself where to stick it). Admittedly, some of the pieces are more timely than others: we still have to worry about “Never Git Drunk No More”, but a “Cadillac, Cadillac” ain’t quite the symbol of wealth that it used to be.

Done acoustic, This Machine Still Kills Fascists is able to reconnect with that American troubadour tradition that has unfortunately been rather lost. At only thirty minutes, and without lead singer Al Barr (who was away taking care of his ailing mother), it does feel like more like a side-project than a full-fledged Dropkick album, but still a visceral release.