Street Dogs

State Of Grace

Written by: TL on 02/10/2008 11:56:38

Two years after the release of "Fading American Dream", Street Dogs are back with their fifth full length titled "State Of Grace", and as for introductions, there's little new to be said if you're already familiar with the band. If not, then all you need to do to get the picture is take Dropkick Murphys, deduct a little of the distinct Irishness, and replace it with good old fashioned punk rock spirit in the veins of Rancid.

A potent enough cocktail for you to serve yourself during a good night of drinking in general, but alas, all is not totally unchanged on "State Of Grace". Long story short, what seems to have happened is basically that Street Dogs have taken their paws off the gas pedal for a bit, effectively moving a bit away from punk and a bit closer to mainstream rock. That's a damn shame. Compared to their more famous contemporaries in Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, the 'Dogs never seemed like an overly original bunch, but earlier, the high speed was enough to raise the fun factor of their music to a level where that didn't matter. Without it, the band's new songs feel dangerously anonymous. There's plenty of sing-a-longable choruses as portrayed especially well in "Kevin J. Toole" and "The General's Boombox", but overall, the slowed pace makes things seem a little bit too safe to really excite.

If you're a fan of Street Dogs or one of the other bands I've mentioned, chances are that you'll be willing to overlook the slight decrease in awesomeness, and welcome the songs on "State Of Grace" into your collection, but if you're only learning about the band now and think that by the description of their sound, you want to get to know them, then this album misses the staying power of "Fatty" or "Tobe's Got A Drinkin' Problem" off its predecessor, and hence you'll be better off checking that one out first.

Download: Kevin J. Toole, The General's Boombox
For The Fans Of: Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, Rancid, Streetlight Manifesto
Listen: myspace.com/streetdogs

Release Date 08.07.2008
Hellcat Records

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