The title of this Wicklow band's second album could sum up the lives of many in recent years, but this isn't a collection of bitter recession- fuelled recollections. Rather, The Cujo Family take their so-called "hard folk" into more abstract spaces. They start off sounding like an Irish Gomez on Dog Gone Crazy, all growling bluesy sensibilities, but 12 tracks later the influence-ometer points firmly in the direction of The Pogues (Paris, the Hate in My Heart and the suspiciously misogynous Alozaina), though the Felice Brothers could be cited for the overly extended God in a Tree. The sound is well-defined if somewhat borrowed, and on Cage Rattler, You Choked and One Bright Morning their brash, folky singing creates a sense of appealing togetherness. If The Cujo Family's attempt to find a distinct voice is a work in progress, Stories of Ruin is an impressive step.
thecujofamily.bandcamp.com
Download: Dog Gone Crazy, One Bright Morning