Genre: Traditional and traditional-style sea shanteys
Rating: PG
Target Audience: Grownups, older kids, folks who prefer sugar and lime in their grog rather than sand and gunpowder

As a fan of pirate music, I often find myself amongst the villainous and off-key. Pirate music is commonly gritty, sinister, and more concerned with setting a swashbuckling mood than achieving musical perfection – and God love ‘em for it! That said, once in a while it’s good to rise up from the bilges, sober up, maybe take a bath, and listen to some artists that have opted for a different, more polished musical endeavor. And that’s where Bounding Main is time and again a favorite amongst so many shanty-fans.

Kraken Up is Bounding Main’s fourth album, and carries a quality and tone that will come as no surprise to those familiar with their previous work. Primarily a capella, light-hearted, sometimes goofy and sometimes gorgeous – this is the Bounding Main that fans know and so fervently love (Bounding Mainiacs are indeed some of the most loyal fans I’ve seen amongst the pirate community.) The album begins with Dogger Bank, a song that seems to be in English, but has all the apparent intelligibility of a Yahoo Serious Festival. Twigger? Juvee Ju? Shangaroo??? The liner notes claim this is a traditional piece using actual sailing lingo, and I’ll have to take their word for it. The song itself – confusing wordage notwithstanding – is a joy to listen to with strong female lead vocals and deeper backup vocals keeping the pace.

This CD is a mixture of traditional and original sea music, with a couple of cover songs thrown in. Day of the Clipper is a Schooner Fare classic with the added bonus of being a collaborative effort between Bounding Main and The Jolly Rogers, who bring their instrumentals and piratey vocals to the mix. Rolling Up, Rolling Down, by Jack Forbes, is unique not only in its subject matter of modern mariners, but it also has a fantastic beat (rare, but not unheard of in a capella.)

The album’s traditional selection includes the beautiful Le Capitaine De Sait-Malo which, like Dogger Bank, might sound like jibberish, but is actually something called “french.” Saltpeter Shanty has a fine strength about it, and David’s deep lead vocals – as always – contrasts extraordinarily well with the rest of the group’s backups. Sloop John B, which is partly traditional, partly original, is another beautiful piece that captures Bounding Main at its lyrical best, while also showcasing Gina’s ability to inject an extra emotional punch when she takes lead.

Original tunes feature the work of several of Bounding Main. Call of the Sea, Night Watchman’s Lament, and Green Eyed Girl are all new works, but it’s Barbershop Shanty that truly stands apart. Sounding more like a show-tune onstage than a signature Bounding Main piece, it tells of the struggles of a 5’3″ captain with a less-than-commanding voice. Eventually he learns that while he can’t necessarily command, he can sing a fine shanty – whether or not that qualifies as a happy ending we’ll leave to the listeners

Bounding Main is one of those groups that I hardly need review – the vast majority of readers probably already own their CDs, and will (and certainly SHOULD) rush out to buy Kraken Up. Granted, it contains not one direct pirate reference, but it features plenty of nautical appeal, and is certainly a joy on the ears.

Genre: Traditional and traditional-style sea shanteys
Rating: PG
Target Audience: Grownups, older kids, and especially fans of Bounding Main’s live shows

As an entertainment group, Bounding main is essentially a coin with two sides. On the one, we have Bounding Main the live performers – exceptionally talented singers with a clear rapport with their audience, and more than a little tendency towards joking and goofing around. Bounding Main’s shows are generally defined by fun over perfection, where errors and surprises (for audience and performers alike) make each show wonderfully unique. And on the other side we have Bounding Main the recording artists, where the beauty of the vocals and a mastery of the stereo medium have seen the traditional sea shanty evolve into true music, rather than mere lumbering work songs.

In their live performances, Bounding Main often shines best when their songs are fun. On their CDs, however, they shine when the songs are drop dead gorgeous. With their latest album, Going Overboard, Bounding Main attempts to bridge this gap with fun, frequently light-hearted songs that work well live and also work well on CD. It does, however, convey a slightly different flavor that their previous two albums.

Songs such as South Australia, Johnny Come Down the Hilo, and Fire Maringo are peppy and well performed, but not as awe-inspiring as similar songs from their earlier works. Haul Away Joe, for example, has never been a favorite of mine, but on the Bounding Main album Lost at Sea they made this song absolutely glow. Fire Maringo has a similar feel, but comes across as a bit lackluster in comparison. It’s good – just not great. Other songs take a slower approach, which Bounding Main often translates into higher emotional kick. But as with the previously mentioned songs, Fareweel Tae Tarwathie, Ocean Liner, and Leaving of Liverpool don’t quite rise to the level of earlier recordings. Easy on the ears and very pretty, but not quite beautiful and awe-inspiring.

This aside, Going Overboard does have a couple of shining tracks. Blow Liza Blow is amazingly strong – and I can personally vouch that seeing it performed live it’s even more so. Jaw-dropping, is the phrase. Golden Vanity is also a small triumph, although surprisingly so. A very upbeat version of this song, background vocals are used musically to create sounds that are almost goofy, but so skillfully performed that they can’t help but impress.

In many ways, this would seem an album best suited for Bounding Main fans. Not only because fans are certain to enjoy this album’s many fine – if not quite brilliant – songs, but also because Going Overboard features a couple live tracks with prominent audience participation. The Old Dun Cow is a definite favorite at Bounding Main shows, and the bonus track of Drunken Sailor even boasts audience members offering their own lines. Great fun, and a sure treat for anyone who enjoys Bounding Main live.

The last two songs that bear mention aren’t live, but conjure the live show just the same in that they heavily reference the Bounding Main members themselves. Toss & Roll and Pass the Mug are fine examples of the band’s self-deprecating humor as they poke fun at everything from their own lack of navigational skills to weak stomachs. Both songs also involve some fun vocal work and are amongst the catchier songs on the album.

Bounding Main’s previous albums set and exceptionally high bar, and this latest doesn’t quite measure up the same standards. However, if judged purely on its own merit, Going Overboard remains a very fun, well performed CD of mostly traditional songs performed with a bit more musical flare than is normally associated with the genre.

Genre: Traditional and traditional inspired sea shanteys.
Rating: PG
Target Audience: Grown ups, mostly

By and large, pirate music comes in two forms, the first being historical. These songs are normally performed by bands of reenactors focusing on sea shantys and drinking songs. Generally speaking, these bands are most appreciated by those who have experienced them live, and who wish to recapture the fun of swinging their grog around amongst a group of friends (I am, of course, painting with a broad brush.) The second form that pirate music often takes would be “pirate core” – music of a more modern nature that focuses on piracy as its theme. Be it pop, rock, metal, or punk, this music is sometimes more polished, and generally more accessible to fans of mainstream music (but perhaps uninteresting or even off-putting to traditionalists.)

So where do we place Bounding Main? Now that’s a pickle. In tone and subject matter they clearly fit with the historical bands. But unlike most sea shanty’s, their musical style doesn’t really evoke a feeling of rustic docks, but instead elicits a much deeper, emotional response.

While clearly singing of subjects nautical, Lost at Sea is not a series of sea songs, it’s a series of music – an astounding feat considering Bounding Main is an a-cappella group. Each member of the six-person crew repeatedly and successfully utilze their voices as instruments in and of themselves, creating melodies that – even if you didn’t speak a word of english – conjure images of the sea, and feelings ranging for festive to forlorn.

Rather than break this CD down song-by-song, I think it adequate to say Lost at Sea ranges from lively drinking songs to exciting, touching, and hopeful ballads. There’s not a dud in the mix, and the album is worth every penny. If I were to offer a criticism, it would be that the crew of Bounding Main doesn’t place enough confidence in the strength of their own voices, and opts to toss in occasional silly noises and whoops during some of the songs. This is certainly appropriate for their live performances, but on this album is has the same spell-breaking effect as a movie-star winking at the camera during a dramatic scene. But fortunately these distractions are mostly contained to only a few songs, and it don’t really impact the quality of the music as a whole.

A fantastic album that reenactors, modern pirate enthusiasts, and landlubbing music lovers can all enjoy in equal measure – as highly recommended as they come.

Genre: Traditional and traditional inspired sea shanteys.
Rating: PG
Target Audience: Grown ups, mostly

When I think of sea shanties, I generally imagine them as performed by folk singers (i.e. musicians performing fairly down-to-earth, no frills songs recapturing the music of old.) I DON’T generally imagine sea shanties as performed by recording artists (i.e. musicians that seek not only to master the art of music, but the science of utilizing modern studio techniques to maximize the impact of the final product.) It was in this way that Bounding Main caught me completely by surprise. Indeed, I’d previously heard them live a couple of times, and already knew them to be fine performers. But upon playing their CD I was caught completely off guard.

The Bounding Main’s first CD, appropriately titled “Maiden Voyage,” opens with “Mingulay Boat Song,” a slower yet still upbeat song that I confess exceeds the bounds of my limited musical vocablularly to adequately describe. But I can say this much – when I put in this CD, I was nearly half asleep. Once this song got rolling, I was scrambling to turn up the volume and then sat in awe of how it made such use of my speakers – it was almost as if the entire six-person crew of Bounding Main was standing in a circle around me as they sang, making this less of a song and more of a 3-D experience.

“Pump Shanty” is next up – a sea shanty in the truest sense, although I don’t think I’d previously heard a song for pumping the bilge (by my time, bilgepumps were powered by steam.) It’s a wonderfully fun and catchy piece, but more importantly it continues the fine recording quality as demonstrated in the previous song.

“Fiddler’s Green” seems somewhat more standard fare, being a rather nice traditional song about the sailors’ heaven. But “Pay Me, You Owe Me” livens things up nicely again. I don’t know whatever possessed someone to write a song about collecting loans from longshoreman, but it makes for a fun, catchy piece (so long as you’re not the one that owes the money, I suppose.)

“Sailors Prayer” is another highly polished piece, soft and lyrical, followed by the equally impressive “Old Maui,” sung in a slow, low-pitched voice that sounds properly sailor-like. The pace then picks up a little with “A Rovin,” which, while a decent piece, has several portions when extra voices chime in, and it feels a little incomplete without the visuals that might accompany a live performance.

“Blow the Wind Southerly” is an nice, folky song. It’s very well performed, but its moderate, somewhat rolling pace made it one of the less memorable songs for me. But the CD then takes on a more fun direction with “The Mermaid” and “Derelict”; catchy tunes each, with “Mermaid” being fast and happy, and “Derelict” (that would be the “Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum” song) a bit slower, and just a tad sinister.

The album’s concluding songs, “Leave Her Johnnie” and “Health to the Company” are both slower songs, and easily as good as any on the album, again making the most of the CD medium.

Without a doubt, this is a wonderful album. Instrument lovers will notice that almost none play a role on this CD, but the singers put their voices to fantastic use, and it’s a joy to hear. While the lyrics are all nautical in nature, no one would ever accuse this music of sounding rough or piratey – it’s just too highly polished and well done (that’s hardly a criticism – but it is something that should be mentioned in a “pirate review.”) Some sea songs were meant for dancing, others for parties and background music. But this album is meant for listening, plain and true.