If you're a looking for an album that brings a warm yet energetic and abrasive yet massively addicting sound, The Irish Brothers' debut album FREEDOM IS A LONELY THING is where it's at.

14 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Punk, ROCK: Roots Rock



Details:
Karl Irish (lead vocals, guitar)
Keith Irish (vocals, bass)
David Irish (vocals, drums)

Musicians often talk about their band mates being like brothers, but you can drop the "like" if you're talking about the Irish Brothers. Unlike the Ramones or the White Stripes, the Irish brothers are actually three brothers- last name Irish. The music they make is anything but traditional Irish pub music, however, informed by the band's eclectic musical taste â everything from Harry Partch to The Stooges.

As a three-piece, The Irish Brothers emit a sound larger than the sum of their individual instruments. Three part harmonies worthy of the Everly Brothers are gently layered over the raucous sounds of Keith's driving bass lines and David's fierce drumming. Karl's rough-and- tumble vocals go head-to-head with his Merle Travis-inspired finger-picking on a signature silver Gretsch guitar. The band stands firmly at the intersection of roots music, garage punk, and folk. Just so you don't get too confused, they describe themselves as a "roots band whose aware punk happened."

Although their sound is hard to describe, the band has been embraced nationwide. Punks, rockabillies and rockers, from Montana to Salt Lake to Texans on their wanderings across the United States, have embraced them. The pure and original sounds of the Irish Brothers appeal to a wide audience that crossed musical and spatial boundaries.

From Black Angel Promotions:

It's a pitiful thing that I don't run into bands like The Irish Brothers more often, but then again, that's probably one of the main reasons I like these guys as much as I do. The Irish Brothers (who truly are 3 brothers whose last name is Irish) have an interesting musical style and a wide array of influences. Some bands that came to mind are early Social Distortion, The Dead Boys (who funny enough are covered on this album), The Stray Cats and numerous root-based bands.
What I find so refreshing about The Irish Brothers is that they CAN combine punk, rockabilly, surfabilly, and roots and make it work. They make it sound like this is a genre that you hear on a daily basis because it's put together so well. Let me just clarify and say that their sound is rustic and somewhat organic, but it's got muscle behind it.

Even though "Zombie Boys" is one of my favorite offerings off FREEDOM IS A LONELY THING, it's not until "How We Are" that I really get excited! It's a deep surfabilly track that makes me want to run and get my surfboard but also take in the scenery and take in the life in which I live. The self-titled track "Freedom is a Lonely Thing" follows the same steps and is a knock out punch on the album. A nice surprise on here is a cover of the Dead Boys' "Sonic Reducer". It still has the edge as far as the vocals are concerned but is a little more anchored. Regardless, it still kicks ass!

If you're a looking for an album that brings a warm yet energetic and abrasive yet massively addicting sound, The Irish Brothers' debut album FREEDOM IS A LONELY THING is where it's at.