The Feelgood McLouds – Life On A Ferris Wheel CD (Wolverine Records)

It’s been a while since I covered some Celtic punk music, and now is more than an appropriate time to do so. Life On A Ferris Wheel is the latest offering to the broader audiences by The Feelgood McLouds, German Celtic punk group hailing from Saarbrücken. The group managed to release a debut single named Drink To All My Friends and a debut self-titled full-length album since their formation in 2015. Therefore, The Feelgood McLouds gained recognition not only in Germany but across the globe. According to their recordings, these German punk rockers nurture an incredible sound. They’re more than ready to conquer the hearts of Irish folk fans.

Life On A Ferris Wheel offers twelve compositions with a debut single Drinking To All My Friends being included on the list. The Feelgood McLouds commence with a classic approach to Irish folk, subtle enough to even fit within the fundamentals of the genre, but the vocals are liberating the punk rock vibe. The group speeds up to the max on the second composition, and these experienced musicians showcase their true intentions. The sound goes within the genre, but The Feelgood McLouds surrender ferocious singalongs and slightly distorted guitar shreds. Additional instruments such as bagpipes, accordion, banjo, mandolin, and tin whistle keep things interesting along the way.

Tremendous drumming performance dictates the tempos throughout the album and keeps numbers rhythmically diverse as much as possible. The melodies are appropriate, appealing, and perfectly executed by each participant within the band. Sounds of accordion, bagpipes and tin whistle are dominant on Life On A Ferris Wheel, but the remaining portion of the instruments is equally hearable in the mix. Gradually distorted rhythm, acoustic, and bass guitar pair to the more traditional instrumentations, but they’re entirely harmonized from scratch. Vocals retain natural distortion in vocal cords that go perfectly with the presented orchestrations, but the compelling singalongs are playing one of the key roles as well. With singalong like these, Life On The Feris Wheel sounds incredibly powerful.

The Feelgood McLouds recorded thoughtfully arranged album that appears anthemic, cheerful, nostalgic, and calls out to responsible usage of alcoholic beverages and unity among punk rockers. Each composition contains something special that demands repetitious listening. This is a proper punk rock party soundtrack if you’re profoundly into Celtic punk music. Life On A Ferris Wheel comes on vinyl and compact disc. Head over to Wolverine Records web store and order your sonic weapon of choice.