REVIEWSFlogging Molly, ‘Speed of Darkness’

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• SPIN Rating:6 of 10

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Release Date: May 31, 2011
Label: Borstal Beat

Relocating from Los Angeles to recession-plagued Detroit, Flogging Molly tap directly into the area's working-class anger, but stay in their sonic comfort zone. On this fifth studio album, the group use violin, accordion, and such to make stomping originals feel like traditional Celtic tunes, while on "The Power's Out" and "Rise Up," rabble-rousing frontman Dave King champions defiant hope amid crushing desperation. But the overly smooth production undercuts his righteous fury, suggesting the group harbors dreams of a Green Day-style commercial breakthrough.