Within a Mile of Home

Flogging Molly | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 14, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Side One Dummy
• ASIN: B0002T7Z0M
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,396 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

"Within A Mile of Home" is the highly anticipated full-length follow up to 2002's hugely successful Drunken Lullabies. Flogging Molly continues to breed traditional Irish influences & heavy hearted storytelling with brazen punk rock. Look for a few surprises this time around, including a Cajun vibe on "Tomorrow comes a Day to Soon" & a guest appearance from Lucinda Williams on "Factory Girls."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Their best offering yet, September 20, 2004

By 

James B. Emmons (Huntsville, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Within a Mile of Home (Audio CD)

As has been mentioned countless times already, "Within a Mile of Home" differs a bit from previous Flogging Molly albums. This album manages to change styles enough to not be a mirror image of "Drunken Lullabies" without abandoning the clear Irish vibe to each of their songs. Their Irish-punk style may be formulaic, but the group's actually managed to grow within the formula.

Though not everyone seems to like the entire album, the really good tracks--"Seven Deadly Sins," "To Youth", and "Tobacco Island"--seem to win over everyone. "To Youth," in particular, is a great ode to Ireland; thoughts of James Joyce are practically inevitable. And the Irish pub hoe-down (yeah, I said it) in "Tobacco Island" is easily one of the year's best punk-rock jam sessions. Along with "Screaming at the Wailing Wall" and "Queen Anne's Revenge" (a great track featuring bassist Nathen on vocals), these tracks are enough to lift the album above both "Swagger" and "Drunken Lullabies"--and this says quite a bit considering how good those albums are.

The ballads are also strong, if not on the same level as "Death Valley Queen." I've never heard any music by Lucinda Williams before, but her turn on "Factory Girls" is respectable. The brief "Wrong Company" is enjoyable, and "Don't Let Me Die Still Wondering" is a good closer (though I think the title track would've been a better stopping point).

Some take issue with the first track's approach to modern politics--the "sell-out" phrase has already been uttered-- but I don't think it seemed inappropriate. This band has always been political, even if it was usually focused on the Roundheads (see "Tobacco Island") and Ireland's resistance. But a group can't focus on the same flavor of injustice without wearing the audience down from time to time, so why not focus on what they perceive to be the injustice of their own day? Perhaps this dates them, but frankly just playing in the "Irish punk" genre would probably date them too. And besides, there's enough treatment of injustice in a universal sense to give the song a longer life.

All in all, this is a great album, even better than the group's previous two albums, even if the style is a little different from those. Fans of the group will likely not be disappointed.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A more musical sound...., December 25, 2004

By 

debeehr "debeehr" (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Within a Mile of Home (Audio CD)

After the harder-edged sound of DRUNKEN LULLABIES, this album returns to the softer-edged and more tuneful sound of SWAGGER. There are some tunes that drag a bit--tracks 4 and 5 are kind of blah, for instance--but track 7, "Tobacco Island," is worth the price of the CD all by itself (it may be the new "Black Friday Rule"), and "Tomorrow Comes a Day Too Soon" and "Within a Mile of Home" are impossible to sit still through. Almost as good as the first one. Flogging Molly proves they've still got it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This Band is good!, August 7, 2007

By 

James W. Durney (Tampa Bay area) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Within a Mile of Home (Audio CD)

My belt is to long, my hair to short and gray, I have no tattoo or body piercing. These things normally keep me away from the racks where this band is kept being more at home in Easy Listening, Jazz, Classical, Folk or Country. My CD collection has a strong Irish section. One side of my family came to America during The Great Hunger; the other came after the Easter Rebellion. Irish music and lore is part of the family and in the blood. The Clancy Brothers, The Irish Rovers, The Dubliners, The Chieftains and The Coors have all drawn on and contributed to the music of Ireland. These contributions have produced an electric lively interesting sound. Flogging Molly is building on this heritage and expanding it. These guys are good! They have a sound that is a combination of Irish music and punk rock that attracts and beguiles. My introduction was a ring tone on my son's phone but they appeal to any student of Irish music. This is a good introduction or addition to your CD collection with several strong tracks. Screaming at the Wailing Wall, Tomorrow Comes a Day too Soon and Don't Let Me Die Still Wondering are ones I liked. This is my first CD but it will not be my last.