The Real McKenzies - 10,000 Shots

Whoever arranged the track order on The Real McKenzies 10,000 Shots must’ve gotten so into the spirit of the title tune that they mistook the song “13” for “The Skeleton and the Tailor” and switched them. Hey, after knocking back 10,000 shots, all tracks probably sound the same, to paraphrase the piece slightly, and the odd error'll have fans of the group double-checking their P’s and Q’s or musing for a moment whether their drink was spiked. That is, if they’re not drunk already. And that just about says it all for the latest offering from the Scottish-Canadian rock outfit. In the niche that the Pogues carved for Celtic rock in pop music, the Real McKenzies stand firmly ensconced in its furthest corner. True, their more accomplished counterparts won’t hesitate to play the beer and bagpipes card either, but they temper their hooliganism with sobering tunes about serious subjects. 10,000 Shots features no such forays into sincerity, unless you want to count the unpolished carpe diem of “Best Day Until Tomorrow.” It’s all rowdiness and no reflection, more in its element with crass traditionals like “Bugger Off” than the more tender sentiments of “Farewell to Nova Scotia,” showing that though the McKenzies still know how to make you raise your glass, they have yet to learn how to make you cry in it. The album’s best song, “Pour Decisions,” confirms this. In it an aging musician second-guesses his career choices to a beat that is both gruff and bouncy, managing snappy references to beer, Scientology, and Monty Python’s “Lumberjack Song” along the way. This same joking reference to their longevity then fails them on “I Hate my Band,” “10,000 Shots,” and “13” - all been-around-the-block rockers celebrating the band’s staying power that sound recycled and rather dull. It's this rote revisitation that plagues the album as a whole. All of it has been done before, and done better. After thirteen years, five albums, and innumerable tours, the Real McKenzies certainly can claim to have been there and done that. If only their music didn’t suggest the same. [www.realmckenzies.com]