Republic of Loose - Vol IV: Johnny Pyro and the Dance of Evil

With every album Republic of Loose's potential for greatness becomes more apparent however, with every album the stumbling block to achieving it remains the same - they just don't know when to call it a night.
Their stew of styles has a dribble-down-your-chin brilliance, but too often you're too full to think about digesting anymore. Having gone over the hour-mark on both its predecessors, 'Vol IV' clocks in at 77 minutes - that's too loose for even the biggest of fans.
While their talents as players - and Mick Pyro as a vocalist - shine here, 16 songs of varying quality and poor pacing mean that the sextet have a tendency to become background music, and they're far too good to do that to themselves.
Had everything equalled 'The Steady Song', '23 Things I Don't Like', 'Awful Cold' and 'I Like Music', this would've been a contender for Irish Record of the Year. Instead you may find your favourites, stick with them and forget about the rest.
Think of all the great records that had 10 songs and fitted on one side of a tape; they could make one too.
Harry Guerin