Filthy Thievin' Bastards are something of a side-project supergroup. Consisting of members of
the Swingin' Utters,
Camper Van Beethoven, and
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes,
Filthy Thievin' Bastards boast one of the most wildly eclectic sounds in all of post-punk rock & roll. On this, their second full-length album, they careen crazily from
Pogues-flavored rock & reel (
Spider Stacy makes a guest appearance on tin whistle and vocals) to queasy honky tonk country ("Crutches and Blow," "Back to the Old") and from a weird sort of ersatz Latin pop ("Sealed Confessions") to beer-swilling shoutalongs ("Singapore Sling"). Singer
Darius Koski wears his
Shane MacGowan influence a little bit too openly on his sleeve, but at their best,
Filthy Thievin' Bastards do an admirable job of updating
the Pogues' gleeful Celtic chaos for the 21st century, and by adding their own cheerfully beery mix of punk, country, and Latin to the mix they do ultimately succeed at making the resulting sound their own. Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson