Rating:
The Pirates Charles
www.myspace.com/thepiratescharles

Genre: Pirate shanty-punk
Rating: R
Target Audience: Pirates. Drunken, brazen, shameless pirates.

Sometimes it seems as if there’s three kinds of music in this world – good music, bad music, and pirate music. The Pirates Charles’ album LIVE Scalliwaggs would entirely qualify as pirate music. [read more »]

Rating:
Various Artists
www.ppnom.org

– Volume 1

– Volume 2
Genre: Various. Ranges from traditional to metal to lounge. Seriously.
Rating: PG
Target Audience: This is perhaps the most universal collection of pirate music ever. If you love any aspect of the genre, these albums are for you.

A short while back I was asked (and I paraphrase,) “I think I’m interested in learning more about pirate music, but I don’t know where to begin. Any suggestions?” [read more »]

Rating:
Captain Darby O’Bill and His Maties 3
www.captaindarbyobill.com

Genre: Original pirate songs of varying non-traditional styles.
Rating: PG-13
Target Audience: Late teens to early retirement

Captain Darby O’Bill and His Matees 3, an album performed by a group of the same name (I mean, what are the odds?) is exactly the kind of pirate music I love best – meaning that it in no way sounds like any of the other pirate music I already love. Right from the first track, The Skulls of Skeleton Peak, and on through the entire album, this CD defies categorization of any kind save one – this is PIRATE MUSIC! [read more »]

Rating:
Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew
www.piraterap.com

Genre: Pirate-themed gansta rap
Rating: R
Target Audience: Immature adults

Captain Dan’s debut album, Authentic Pirate Hip-Hop, essentially redefined the pirate-core playing field. True, many brilliant albums have borrowed styles from non-pirate genres, such as metal, rock, and alternative. And other albums managed to create styles that were essentially unique. But prior to Captain Dan’s gangsta rap release, never before had a pirate band so unabashedly plunged into such dangerous waters. Hip Hop is not for the weak – but not only did Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew survive their encounter with this tumultuous genre of thugs, drugs, and hos – they actually made it their bitch. [read more »]

Rating:
The Ben Gunn Society
www.bengunnsociety.com

 
Genre: Artsy, coffee-house songs of a piratey nature
Rating: PG
Target Audience: Teens ta Twenties

Having achieved such a creative marvel with their first album, The Ben Gunn Society, it’s difficult to imagine what the band of the same name would follow up with. After all, the entire album was indeed about Ben Gunn – that cheese-hankerin’ castaway from Treasure Island. So to make a second album that had nothing to do with the old man whatsoever… well, it’s difficult to fathom. [read more »]

Rating:
The Valparaiso Men’s Chorus
www.myspace.com/thevalparaisomenschorus

Genre: Traditional sea songs performed with a jazzy New Orleans flavor.
Rating: R
Target Audience: Grownups that still know how to curse, drink, and party

A few times each year, it seems, an album comes out of left field and absolutely blindsides me. Generally it’s from an outsider band (read that, not established as a pirate band), and usually they do something so novel that it makes for an absolutely unique, must-have album. The Valparaiso Men’s Chorus album Guano & Nitrates only came into my possession through the most unlikely of circumstances – I likely never would have found them on my own. And such would be the tragedy. [read more »]

Rating:
Rustmonster
www.gangreneproductions.com

Genre: Jazzy, beatnick lounge songs. About pirates.
Rating: PG-13
Target Audience: Late teens to early retirement

It may surprise you to learn, I listen to a LOT of pirate music (far more than I’ve yet reviewed, shamefully.) As such, I’m rarely truly surprised. Impressed, certainly – it’s always a treat to hear a new origninal song, or an exciting new presentation of an old song. And it’s always thrilling to learn of a new pirate-rock or pirate-shantey group picking up the torch and lending their talents to create truly original material. BUT, sometimes it feels like I’ve heard it all. [read more »]

Rating:
Swashbuckle
www.swashbuckle.info

Genre: Heavy Metal and traditional
Rating: PG-13
Target Audience: Late teens to early retirement

Pirate metal isn’t a new thing – several bands, in fact, have tackled this concept before. But in many cases the only real way you know the music is piratey is by the album cover artwork, and maybe the names of the songs. This is because the untrained ear is unlikely to understand the growls and yells, let alone determine if the lyrics are composed of anything remotely relating to pirates. [read more »]

Rating:
Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew
www.piraterap.com

Genre: Pirate-themed gansta rap
Rating: R
Target Audience: Immature adults

What happens when you mix rum and Crunk Juice…

I’m going to lay it right out – this review is going to begin with one relatively irrelevant criticism. It will then continue on to gush the praises of this album with shameless enthusiasm. And that’s just how it’s going to be. [read more »]

Rating:
Sunken Chest
www.sunkenchest.com

Genre: Guitar-rock pirate-core
Rating: PG-13
Target Audience: Late teens to early retirement

Few bands embody “pirate core” so pefectly as Sunken Chest. Their debut album features various tunes that seamlessly blend rock club instrumentals with period(ish) pirate lyrics. While not remotely historically accurate, the resulting music lends the impression that it is what historical pirates WOULD have listened to, given the opportunity. [read more »]