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Flogging Molly - Within A Mile Of Home - USA Side 1 Dummy
There are several bands out there that meld traditional Irish sounds with more modern rock or pop influences - and several of them spring to mind (the excellent Pogues and the Dropkick Murphys ) but Flogging Molly are perhaps the only ones who add searing hardcore punk to the mix and make it really, really work. Still managing to story-tell, even in the midst of their often explosive sound, the band puts together top-notch tunes on this disc, interspacing the rowdy tracks with the ballads that have recently become live show faves (perhaps because they give the audience a chance to swig their beer and catch their breath!). Most notable tracks on this effort include “The Spoken Wheel,” the Cajun-influenced “Tomorrow Comes A Day Too Soon,” “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” and an interesting guest appearance by Lucinda Williams.

Blue Nile - High - Sanctuary Records
Scotland’s Blue Nile are one of those bands who lurk quietly in the background, creeping out every now and then to throw something out into the room that’s such a surprise everyone just has to stop and take notice. It’s so once again with this, their latest release. The band isn’t known for changing up their sound much - and they don’t really have to. With a calm, laid-back approach and a focus on songwriting, they definitely have their own sound - most markedly, on this album, on such songs as “Soul Boy” and “Broken Loves” - but it never gets the better of them or becomes dated. Paul Buchanan’s unique vocals may be one of the keys to this phenomenon - melancholy and emotional, he might be one of pop music’s most interesting vocalists. It’s true that eight whopping years have gone by since Blue Nile’s last studio effort - but High was worth the wait.

Elvis Costello - Almost Blue - Rhino Records
This remastered version of Costello’s disc hit stores in early August to very little fanfare, and, unfortunately, very little notice. When the disc first came out, the result of Costello’s foray into country music put fans into two camps of the love it or hate it variety. That said, this is still an album that, regardless of your penchant (or not) for country music, Elvis Costello fans should definitely have. At worst, it’s slightly awkward (but only slightly) as Costello tries to squeeze his round, intelligent British sound into a square Nashville hole. At best, it’s great fun listening to him open up the throttle and experiment with twisting his sensibilities ‘round the country sound, making some songs into rollicking tributes (“Why Don’t You Love Me (Like You Used To)?”) and others into sweetly successful experiments (“Good Year For The Roses”). Stylistically interesting and diverse - oh, and did we mention chock-full of extra tracks including over a half dozen live cuts? - it’s an unusual but worthy Costello purchase.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Live In Hyde Park - WEA International
Recorded at the Peppers’ June 2004 shows in...well, you can guess where... this disc serves to prove why the Peppers, although perhaps laying a little lower than usual since their ’90s heyday, are still one of rock’s best live bands. Heavy on tunes from their last two discs (although they did throw in favorites “Can’t Stop” and “Under the Bridge”), the focus here is definitely on newer material, and there’s an excitement running through the set that is catchy, even on disc. The band are all at the top of their game as far as energy and improvisation, most evident on highlights “Can’t Stop,” their quirky cover of ’70s tune “I Feel Love,” “Fortune Faded,” and “By The Way” - and there are even two brand new songs (“Rolling Sly Stone” and the softer “Leverage of Space”) to keep things Ziploc-bag fresh. Pretty good for a band that’s been around for almost three decades.
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