[coll]: What the Shite: Shite ‘n’ Onions Volume 2 (Shite ‘n’ Onions)
Reviewed by Sadie O., 2/24/06
Second generation Celtic punk (the ghosts of Pogues linger), mostly from the US as well as a few European countries apparently NOT including Ireland, where they probably hate this kinda shite… It’s all very high energy and uptempo, with varying degrees of success at singing with a brogue. Really quite enjoyable.
FCCs – hard to make em out but there are mild ones in tracks 8, 11 and probable one in 12, definite in 18, but many of the vocals are highly unintelligible.
Bagpipe warning on track 3, banjo warning on tracks 7, 13, 20.
I like 13 a lot. 18 would be good if it didn’t have FCCs. Other bests are 1, 6, 11, 12, 17, 18.
1. 2:40 **nice pounding rendition of trad sea chantey favorite. Prominent violin and Shane McGowan-ish vocals. Bawdy but not quite FCC lyrics.
2. 3:43 *Nonsense and undecipherable lyrics, so it’s easy to sing along to. Not a traditional piece but with much that sound. Violin, strong bass line, yelled vocals.
3. 2:37 *Starts with bar noises, bagpipes, not unpleasant vocals. Touch of 80’s alternative rock sound to it. Nice bass solo.
4. 3:35 more hillbilly than Irish (although they’re very closely related, of course), still high energy and electric with violin.
5. 1:54 garage band with spoons and harmonica and no violin, extremely uptempo drinking song.
6. 3:25 **good combination of trad instrumentation and punk energy. Vocals a bit like Bob Dylan, terrific lyrics, if you can make em out.
7. 3:32 *banjo and harmonica, decent vocals reminiscent of cowpunk.
8. 2:13 * Mild FCC = “go to Hell” “hunt the bastard down”drums and tin whistles, very Pogues-ish vocals and lyrics.
9. 2:46 downtempo and mellow! Penny whistle and extremely heavy Pogues influence. The sin of drunkenness…
10. 2:47 *folky guitar, accordion – for a’ that actually doesn’t sound bad. Decent lyrics, bit of bodhran.
11. 2:48 ** Mild FCC – “bastard”, but good lyrics.great bass – think Stranglers – song barrels along with a brief bit to rebuild in the middle.
12. 2:49 ** FCC – pretty sure he says “shit-faced”. Bar noises and accordion and violin, mid tempo with a bounce to it.
13. 3:54 ***banjo and violin, sort of spaghetti western feel, odd percussive sounds.
14. 3:59 Mild FCC – “send you back to Hell” odd rhythm for a Celtic piece – apparently an anti-war and pro-whisky song. No trad instruments – oops, except bodhran. Oddly compares Christians Jews and Muslims to “the blessed Trinity”…
15. 2:46 very uptempo snare and penny whistle. All about drinking.
16. 4:12 Starts downtempo and folky, offkey penny whistle, alternative rock sound more than Celtic. Gets faster and more electric.
17. 2:07 **slide guitar and violins, extremely fast drums and vocals. Anti-war, but I can’t make it out cause it goes so fast.
18. 3:00 ** FCC – sounds like he says “Fuck” a couple of times. Mandolin? and a bit of syncopation. Fun vocals about bouncer.
19. 2:13 pretty much pure punk. Can’t make out much of anything. Some trad instrumentation only in center break.
20. 2:12 banjo, fake-sounding brogue.