Rating: 9/10
Release: 1 November 2016
Label: Harbor Kid Productions / Bandcamp

‘Behind the Eightball’ is the second album by Mickey Rickshaw. The first one ‘No Heaven for Heroes’ scored an 8.2 out here on Folk-metal.nl. ‘Great doses of Punk (and Ska sometimes) with traditional Irish instruments and licks’ wrote Vinicius on that one last year.
Well nothing has changed I can guarantee you that. With 5% Ska in songs like ‘Robbed in Mariscal’, 70% Punk and 70% Folk, it’s obvious this album is filled to the rafters. You don’t have to be a scientist to know, when you even add lots and lots of Irishness and Scottishness, this already dangerous mixture will explode. And that’s what it does, when you hit the play-button. It hits you and infiltrates your ears and is injected right into your veins. You won’t be able to sit or stand still, you’re going to make uncontrolled movements to the beat of this music.
You will even find the need to sing and shout along. And this is another nice aspect of Mickey Rickshaw’s music, as a self-respecting punk band, lots of their songs are about society and politics. ‘Nobody’s learning from our bloody history’ (Nonprofit Warfare). This band has enough to say, just keep listening.

Maybe the most brilliant song is ‘Albatross’, with it’s weird sound and awesome alternations this one is really brilliant!

Do I have to sum this up?: SIMPLY GREAT!!!

Tracklist

1. Rats in Allston 03:30
2. Robbed in Mariscal 02:34
3. Destitution Road 02:36
4. Grey Water 02:13
5. Monday Warning 02:38
6. Ivy 01:54
7. 18 Minutes Down 01:52
8. Nonprofit Warfare 03:29
9. One Life 02:34
10. Albatross 02:37
11. The Gael 02:54