Although Celtic punk can be a very dicey proposition, Boiled in Lead have long been a standard of the hybrid style’s success. Persevering, the band has grown into a Minneapolis institution. The reality is that their sound branches out much farther than a simple blend of Irish cadences and raw and simple riffs. Through lineup changes, Boiled in Lead’s been at it since the mid-1980s, and on March 20, they release their twelfth album King of the Dogwoods on colored vinyl, compact disc, and digital through Omnium Records.
The breadth of Boiled in Lead’s work is varied to the point where they are regularly described as simply folk-punk. It’s a term that can conjure up unpleasant visions of street corner strummer-cussers of a rudimentary sort, either solo or in band formation. To summarize, too many strive for Billy Bragg at his most inspired and stripped down and come up far short. If taking influence from Violent Femmes, the goal is sadly to harness the angsty rather than the eclectic.
If brancher-outers, Boiled in Lead, have never cozied up to the sound of Camper Van Beethoven (well, almost never anyway), in part because the Minnesota crew have consistently kept a loose handle on their Celtic-punk foundation (Irish music was rarely if ever part of Camper’s thing). All the while, Boiled in Lead resists cliché.
For many, Celtic-punk begins and ends with The Pogues. But there is a core difference between The Pogues and Boiled in Lead. The Pogues were the kind of band Elvis Costello would agree to produce. Boiled in Lead are much tougher in comportment, perfectly comfortable on a bill with Hüsker Dü, but never faltering into soused-ass group sing-alongs. Summed up in a word: smart.
Boiled in Lead’s early stuff holds up like it’s hitched to a pair of snakeskin suspenders, but they haven’t slipped in quality as they’ve delivered the newer stuff, even as the lineup has undergone changes. For King of the Dogwoods, Boiled in Lead is Todd Menton on vocals, guitar, mandolin, bodhrán, and whistle, Drew Miller on bass guitar and dulcimer, Morris Engel on drums, and Haley Olson on violin and vocals.
King of the Dogwoods’ opening title track, an original composition, begins with a bit of a swampy country feel before the Irish-tinge of the fiddle kicks in, and then the guitar adds an air of psych. Next is the Celtic whirlwind of “Bučimiš,” and then comes a deeper dive into the rock zone (but with the fiddle still soaring) with “Slip Jigs.”
“(I’ll Sing You) Sail Away, Ladies” brings us back to a country neighborhood, but with a touch of the Holy Modal Rounders circa Have Moicy! In the back half, the tempo speeds up, and they dish out some considerable heat. “Haley’s Reels” is exactly what its title suggests, and “Je T’aime, Helena” takes a trip down the Mississippi River to the bayou.
The Olson-voiced “Winifer Odd” introduces a vibe that’s almost indie pop (or at least something a Belle & Sebastian fan could appreciate), while “Bold Lovell” takes on the trad with a thunderous drum bottom. From an instrumental standpoint, “Keshenever Bulgar” is gorgeous, while “Fast Reels” is more truth in song titling while maintaining the melodic essence throughout. The Serbian folk song “Adje Jano” is sequenced between them. Through the ache and sway of Olson’s violin and singing, it’s an album standout.
“Love, Farewell” wraps up King of the Dogwoods with a powerful Menton vocal before plunging into a punkish maelstrom and then returning to the meditative. After a 14-year break, Boiled in Lead is back as wild and vital as ever.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
