The Dropkick Murphys have found the perfect niche: traditional Irish folk music seamlessly blended with American hardcore punk rock. A great live disc, this album takes you straight to a drunken Murphys fest in Boston.

Since I already celebrate the entire Dropkick Murphys catalog, this album nailed plenty of classics that had be singing along in my car, feeling as if I were completely transported to the show. I happily shouted along to the choruses with the audience and felt like I was there.

There were a few surprises, notably a heavy-handed hardcore song that was pro-police. It’s not usual to hear a punk band sing a song praising cops, but the Dropkick Murphys, with their second generation American immigrant, blue collar panache, made it seem perfectly placed. Truth be told, a Dropkick Murphys show is probably the only place where cops and firefighters mingle with anarchists and ex-cons.

During the show, a man jumped on stage and proposed to his longtime sweetheart. All I could think was, wow. This guy proposed to his wife at a Dropkick Murphys show in Boston on St. Patrick’s Day. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the couples ultimate dream. What a story to tell your kids. LET’S GO MURPHYS!!!

“Walk Hard” was a fantastic satire of the music biopic. The movie basically takes “Walk the Line” and pokes fun at every corner. My criticism is that it was very long and doesn’t go anywhere for a while, but I guess that just makes it fit in with the genre it parodies.

I knew it would be before my girlfriend dragged me to the theater, but I expected to be somewhat impressed. I think whatsherface is pretty attractive, but not enough to recommend this movie. And I was VERY disappointed with the ending. I though the movie would at least give a critique to our credit culture, but I’m not sure it does. The lead character has it too easy.

Every now and again (or quite often) I find myself in the mood for a dumb comedy. “Step Brothers” delivered! Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play 40-year-old men whose lives intertwine when Ferrell’s mom and Reilly’s dad hook up Brady Bunch style. Hilarity ensues. A few gross out parts, but nothing off-putting (just some testicles on a drum set and licking of white dog feces). I laughed a lot. Still, I’m getting tired of pop culture’s obsession with adult children. You’d think every unemployed man shacking up with mom and dad (see Failure to Launch, Wedding Crashers, etc.) has serious mental issues.

Holy Crap! The title made me think chick flick and when I heard Woody Allen wrote it, I wasn’t any more inclined to watch it. But I did. The characters suck you in and the plot is hilarious, even when it gets wildly sad. The movie is about a love triangle. Or a love quadrangle? Anyway, the music and the scenery are unbeatable. There’s lots of old Barcelona and Spanish guitar. The only complaint I have is the third person narrator. That threw me off a bit, but I got used to it quick. Definitely worth consuming.

I just didn’t care about this movie. I do like Seth Rogen, but it just wasn’t very funny. I do like stoner comedies, too (see “Harold and Kumar” and “Half-Baker”), but this one just wasn’t any good. I stayed entertained until the end of the movie, but I don’t think I can even remember what it’s about. Something about pot and ninjas. I think I made it sound more awesome than it is.

“Born to Run” is Springsteen’s third release and the first one where he sounds like Bruce today. From the Dylan-esque rants of “Greetings from Asbury Park” to the funky grooves of “The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle” comes “Born to Run” and… well, let me go one track at a time.

“Thunder Road” begins with an epic piano part underscored by a Harmonica. Next comes Springsteen’s voice and the song cranks into a full on rock and roll anthem. Classic Bruce.

“Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” might be one of my favorite songs of all time. The staccato piano chords and the rhythm section’s cool groove join Springsteen’s howling vocals. The horns don’t stop on this one and make you want to dance the night away in front of a skeeball joint on the Jersey Shore.

“Night” rubs me the wrong way. The vocal harmonies just don’t sit well with me. I am not a fan.

Thankfully, “Backstreets” brings back the Boss’s howling vocal parts in a standard anthem with packed with Jersey shore references.

Now, I’ve heard the song “Born to Run” more times than anyone could ever count. I still don’t get tired of Bruce’s lyrics about racing cars on Jersey’s forgotten highways. Ironically, this song was chosen as New Jersey’s youth anthem by the state legislature even though the lyrics are about getting out of Jersey. Every New Jersey teenager can relate to the theme: Let’s fall in love and ditch this crappy town for good… together.

“She’s the One,” like “Night,” demonstrates Bruce’s new singing style. He’s harder to understand and exaggerates a different vocal style. I can’t say I like this one either.

“Meeting Across the River” is a bit different than the rest of the album. It’s a soft, jazzy track. Lyrically, I dig it, but I find it a bit sleepy in the music department.

A lot of people say “Jungleland” is their favorite Bruce song. It’s not mine, but I understand the attraction. The piano plunks out a subtle carnival-like melody while Bruce rants about stock characters doing bad things in the ghettos of Jersey.

Now that I’ve reviewed the first three Springsteen albums on allconsuming, I think I’m done. From here, Bruce becomes a megastar and the desperation of a working class man isn’t quite there, in my humble opinion. Rediscovering 70s Bruce has changed the way I think about music. When you’re listening to Springsteen’s early work, songs become stories and music can be serious, fun, political and fantastic at the same time. As a lifelong Garden State resident, the Jersey and New York City references always make me smirk.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit that it took me 26 years to pick this up. A lot of people told me I’d be into this. They were all correct. The misadventures of Billy Pilgrim from the killing fields in World War II to Ilium, New York to the distant planet Tralfamador kept me flipping pages. Vonnegut certainly deserves to be called one of the greats of his generation. I would already place him among my favorite authors and I’m eager to read more.

The second release from the boss picks up the pace and adds some new style and zest. Nowhere is this more apartment than in the very first track: “The E Street Shuffle.”

Springsteen kicks his Dylan schtick on the first track and throws in some funky beats and slap bass. I can even smell some Latin flare in the last instrumental part of the song.

“Sandy” takes a totally different turn and throws in an accordion! Lyrically, it’s Springsteen at his best, ranting about carnival rides and making out under the boardwalk. Musically, the bari sax and accordion give it an Italian feel.

“Kitty’s Back” brings some of the funkiness back and brings excitement with blaring big band horn parts, jumping organ licks, walking bass lines and Clapton-esque guitar lines. It’s the E Street Band at its finest.

“Wild Billy’s Circus Story” brings back the accordion and the Italian street fair feel and even adds a tuba! The lyrics paint pictures of freak shows at the circus.

“Incident on 57th Street” is a rousing ballad with edgy lyrics about a New York City love story. In the vein of “Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ,” there are enough words to fill a book and they read like a novel.

“Rosalita” is certainly the most popular track on the disc and there’s a reason for that. This dance-y Springsteen love story speaks in first person and you know what he’s talking about when he sings about how his record deal is on the way so he can impress her father.

“New York City Serenade” drags on for ten minutes. It’s slow and piano driven and the lyrics do not seem to go anywhere. I wouldn’t be so critical if the rest of the album didn’t have so many strong tracks.

In “The Wild, the Innocent…” the boss starts to find his own voice, but the songs are still riskier than Springsteen’s later albums. From Latin funk to Italian carnival music, The E Street band brings us Jerseyana at its finest and signs it with Springsteen’s signature storyteller lyrics about fake people who get into real trouble, fall into true love and discover true heartbreak in real places.

This inspiring cartoon tells the story of robot love in a Dystopian future that looks all too familiar. I was more intrigued by the side story about humanity, who abandoned Earth for a five year “vacation” to give the robots time to clean up the place they destroyed. 700 years later, humanity turns into a chubby, boneless race of lazy people who drink their meals and move through the use of floating recliners. The robots take over all of their physical activity. Even golf! The main story line centers on robot love. Let’s face it. It’s a kiddie movie, but certainly not one to miss. Best Pixar film I’ve seen since finding Nemo.