Flogging Molly”Within a Mile of Home”

(Side One Dummy Records)

Compare to: Swingin’ Utters, Dropkick Murphys, Operation Ivy

OK, come clean. You listen to pop-punk. Admit that you own every Blink-182 and New Found Glory album. Admitting you have a problem is the first step, right?

As much as some might enjoy this neo-punk movement, punk lovers may find themselves craving the sweet nectar of the punk of yore. As much as Flogging Molly’s “Within a Mile of Home” should satisfy this hunger, listeners will find themselves reaching for Pennywise and Rancid albums after only a few songs. After its amazing 2000 album “Swagger,” more was expected from Flogging Molly.

Granted, the group isn’t your normal punk band. The seven-member Celtic band incorporates a banjo, fiddle, accordion, mandolin and spoons (yes, spoons) for a distinctive Irish folk-punk sound.

On “Within a Mile of Home,” this innovative, atypical sound is quickly forgotten due to the awkward flow throughout. The album starts off strong with “Screaming at the Wailing Wall” and “Seven Deadly Sins” — ballads that would serve as the soundtrack to a movie about Guinness-chugging, toothless, soccer hooligans.

Sadly, the disc reaches its climax after the second track. Following “Seven Deadly Sins” is the awkwardly out of place, country-flavored “Factory Girls,” with a guest appearance by country music artist Lucinda Williams.

After this befuddling third track, there are still 11 tracks to suffer through that either sound like the familiar click of Michael Flatley’s tap shoes should be heard in the background or they should be played between scenes on “The Drew Carey Show.”

The diamond in the rough, though, is the title track, “Within a Mile of Home.” The only problem with this song is that it is buried so deep in the album most listeners won’t pay attention long enough to even hear it.

Although this song alone doesn’t warrant purchasing the album, together with the first two tracks, it does warrant a listen or two. Just make sure the fast-forward button on your CD player works.

— Andrew Shafer

Prodigy

“Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned” (Maverick)

Compare to: Paul Oakenfold, Fatboy Slim, Rob Dougan

Truth be told, there was a time when Prodigy was considered the vanguards of its generation.

At that time, however, most of us were 10 and cared more about the Ninja Turtles than the rave scene in Britain.

The group follows the path of another U.K. wunderkind, Oasis, in its path to self-inflicted irrelevancy. Prodigy’s third album, “The Fat of the Land” was supposed to revolutionize the way we rock out. The media stars rose to the point of annoyance but were snuffed out like a candle in the wind.

Now, much like Oasis, every new release has led people to wonder why the expiration date wasn’t printed clearer.

After a series of frightful singles, Liam Howlett, the only remaining member of Prodigy who thinks he can still ‘live the dream,’ has returned with an album full of singles to be featured on the soundtracks for the next eight “Matrix” knockoffs.

The disc is chock full of the latest sub-genre-du-jour, which appears to either be ’80s retro rock or badly emulated ’60s garage rock. Under the guidance of Howlett, this nightmarish clash is then given further treatment as he lays big beat breaks on top of it all. The man behind “Firestarter” should be proud of another breakthrough: the creation of electronic narcolepsy.

Tracks like “Shoot Down,” which has Liam Gallagher bleating irrelevant, disconnected phrases, and other ready-made tracks for the MTV-ridden, ADD generation suffocate any gains on the album.

The album has its few, rare moments of an indication of not sucking. “Memphis Belle” invokes the early days of hip-hop when Cybotron, Afrika Bambataa and Newcleus predicted a more robotic future. “Phoenix,” balances Middle Eastern themes with a femme fatale reminiscent of James Bond movies.

The tracks highlight that Howlett hasn’t lost all his technical prowess, but something is missing. Maybe the loss of Keith Flint and Leeroy Thornhill has affected his ability in the studio. Leave it to a flailing Brit who lost the fight with an electric razor to break up any band.

— Josh Nelson

“Shark’s Tale” Motion Picture Soundtrack

Various Artists (Dreamworks Records)

Compare to: Now That’s What I Call Music, “Shrek” Soundtrack, “Barber Shop” Soundtrack

At first glance, the “Shark’s Tale” soundtrack lineup seems more like the probable artists for a “Bad Boys 3” soundtrack than a children’s cartoon movie soundtrack.

Artists like Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Sean Paul and Ludacris are called on to not only showcase their varying talents, but also their ability to “clean it up” for a kid’s movie.

Avant’s “Can’t Wait” is a sultry love song about a man not being able to wait to sleep with a young lady. The song sounds like it belongs on a Midnight Love broadcast, not on a family movie’s soundtrack. The only thing it seems to match is the rest of the strange hip-hop and rap on this album.

Two songs are notable because they are covers of R&B classics that should never have been redone: Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott’s attempt to revamp Rose Royce’s 1976 classic “Car Wash” and Mary J. Blige and Will Smith’s collaboration of Cheryl Lynn’s 1978 hit “Got to Be Real.”

Both put their unique spins on the song without mangling the original, but the outcome is just disappointing.

Apart from the covers, there are a number of interesting originals — interesting because of the artists doing them.

The album begins with a reggae song by Sean Paul and Ziggy Marley. This may be one of the only songs that actually fits the mold of cartoon soundtrack movies.

Then there are the groups that aren’t really G-rated — Ludacris and D12 are among them. Ludacris’ song, “Gold Digger,” is nothing more than a strained attempt to clean up his style.

Surprisingly, though, D12 makes it work.

Even coming in with the highest doubts, “Lies & Rumors” fits in a cartoon movie. They were able to keep it clean and maintain its ridiculous, outlandish style.

D12 — unlike all the other artists on the soundtrack — makes it easy to envision a funny group of fish just talking to each other.

— Tiffany Daniels