Stories Of Ruin is the follow-up to the Cujo Family’s excellent 2010 debut. It’s been well worth the wait. Spanning a variety of different genres, including soul, folk, trad, bluegrass and blues in different measures, the Wicklow band have created a sound that is indubitably their own, and christened it ‘hard folk’. And why not? There’s a lot of The Pogues in here, mind, but they’re capable of competing in that exalted zone.
You can hear the unique combination of hard graft, sweat and whiskey that went into finessing this record (successfully financed through fund:it). But if the songs weren’t powerful, it’d all count for naught. The opening ‘Dog Gone Crazy’ sets the tone nicely. There’s a freshness to ‘North Of Knowing’; ‘Killing Song’ is a zinger and ‘Paris, The Hate in My Heart’ has an impressive gypsy swagger. Meanwhile, in ‘Cage Rattler’, they promise that “I’m gonna keep racing and I’m gonna keep chasing after you,” with swathes of Dylan-esque organ to soak the sentiment in authenticity.
In a world where Mumford & Sons are perennially topping the charts, there’s commercial potential in what these boys are doing too. Stories Of Ruin has what it takes to run and run. Hats off to the Family!

Keytrack: 'Killing Song'

7/10