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March 3, 2006 > Arts & Entertainment > Chicago’s Tossers put out witty, melodic CD

Chicago’s Tossers put out witty, melodic CD

By Julia Bursten | Thresher Editorial Staff

Ideal for Celtic punk fans who want a little more shamrock in their sound, the Tossers actually claim less Irish heritage but a more traditionally Irish repertoire than most mainstream Irish rock bands such as the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly.

Their fifth and latest album, The Valley of the Shadow of Death, has a complex, smooth sound that speaks jazzily of their Windy City roots. Smothered in track titles such as “No Loot, No Booze, No Fun” and “Preab San Ol,” Valley makes perfect background sound for any Celtic-themed social endeavor.

The Tossers’ style features an emphasis on string and harp instrumentals that is hard to find in mainstream U.S. pop music. This gives the band a unique sound as soon as the first pining notes of “Goodmornin’ Da” start playing. But the lyrics are directed toward a primarily Irish-American audience — “Crock of Gold” is an ode to the ghost-town-like nature of parts of downtown Chicago.

The CD starts off strong with a duo of upbeat, frenetic drinking songs but moves too quickly into a long set of slower ballads. As the band loses momentum, listeners lose interest — which is a shame, because the later cuts tend to have more creative lyrics and original instrumentations than the early tracks. The more spirited songs at the end of Valley, including the brilliant political anthem “Go Down Witch Down,” which attests to the band’s lyrical wit.

The Tossers have also mastered the sarcastically wistful ballad with graceful, tongue-in-cheek smooth rhythms and lyrics including “There’s no loot, there’s no booze and it’s no fun” and “Good mornin’ Da’, oh I’m in jail/No I don’t need you to pay for bail.” The melodies are creative, catchy and impossible to stop humming.

Valley is a fair CD, but most Celtic bands entertain better during live shows than in recordings. Luckily, the Tossers will be in town March 9 at Warehouse Live. The crowd itself should be diverse and entertaining — a mix of adventurous hipsters, drunk and Irish 30-somethings and the token crotchety senior citizens nursing whiskey on the rocks. And a live show sounds more appealing than a Shadow of Death any day.

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