I just put up a couple of albums I've been playing recently.

First, the new disc from a band I've gotten to like, and not just because of the name: Challengers, by The New Pornographers. This effort sees the band being a little less energetic, a bit more focused, and in totality a lot more intriguing. As a whole, this album stretches the band further than some of the more jangly efforts on earlier discs. I like it, but admit there are some weaker moments.

Next up, a bit of Irish Punk. The Dropkick Murphys are likely to be well known to several of the riders, but if you've not run across Flogging Molly, you owe it to yourself to listen. While the Murphys are largely all aggro (and damn good at it), Flogging Molly treads a slightly wider path. They do the aggressive hard-driving sound as well, but can lay out more melodic tunes with as much thought as anger. Within A Mile of Home isn't the newest album, but so far it's my favorite. "Tomorrow Comes a Day Too Soon", "Seven Deadly Sins" and "Within A Mile of Home" are key items, but "Tobacco Island" and "Screaming at the Wailing Wall" are not to be missed.

So, fire up the Mint Jams and settle in. (As always, this is Mint radio - no downloading available.)