For those of us who focus primarily on Pirate-Core style music, meaning that which bends&blends the pirate genre into new and exciting directions, it’s sometimes important – and refreshing – to revisit the roots of the genre. However, sea shanties as often performed can often come across rather soft and bland compared to the gritty villainy found on more theatrical pirate CDs, which is why the likes of Tugboat Bromberg fill such a nice gap. Tugboat performs what I can only call “minimalist” pirate music – mostly just himself and a guitar. His voice isn’t exactly sinister, but it has just enough scratch to reach a “casually crusty” point that sounds right at home with pirate material.

Here There Be Pirates is, I believe, the first of these two albums to have been released. While a live performance, the audio quality is very good and background noise seems virtually nonexistant save for those points where Tugboat or his MC are addressing the crowd directly. The disc begins with a couple of traditional favorites; Santy Anno and Jolly Rovin’ Tar. Both are performed in the traditional manner, although Santy Anno does have a few slightly altered lyrics to make it a little more “piratey.” The Mermaid is third on the CD, although it’s not the same traditional song more commonly found on folk albums – rather, this is a song of a single sailor who falls for a mermaid, and must learn to contend with the fact that while a mermaid is indeed half gorgeous lady, she’s also very much half fish.

Pirate’s Dream is one of Tugboat’s original songs, and has a laid-back islander pace about the ideal pirate life, full of sunsets and treasure. The album hosts two Captain Bogg & Salty covers, being What it’s Really Like on a Ship and Scallywag, both of which are performed admirably – Scallywag in particular, as Tugboat manages to make this song his own (no small feat considering the uniquely strong character of the original version.)

Here There be Pirates goes on to include several other traditional songs, including Old Dun Cow, Yarmouth Town, and more. The Derelict of course makes an appearance, and Tugboat sings it in a jolly, sinister, catchy manner. The album concludes with a comfy, somber version of Leave Her Johnny, making for a perfect sendoff.

Tugboat Bromberg’s second pirate album, Scallywag, is studio recorded, and seems just a tad sharper for it. It too features a variety of traditional covers, beginning with Jolly Rovin’ Tar and The Mermaid – both were previously featured on the earlier disc, but these are indeed different recordings, and take on a slightly different character thanks to the studio venue. Billy Bones is a cover of a Skip Henderson favorite, and again Tugboat’s scratchy voice does a fine job of capturing this often immitated but seldom duplicated song. The album continues with a number of traditional songs. Bully in the Alley is easy on the ears if a little sober sounding for a song about being plastered. Spanish Ladies has a nicely rough edge to it, and also features an accompanying harmonica (not sure if that’s period, but it’s still a nice touch.) Captain Kidd is one of only two pirate-specific songs on the album (Billy Bones being the other), and it’s an oddly upbeat version considering the somber nature of the lyrics – peppy gallows music.

Of the two albums, Here There Be Pirates is definitely my favorite. I don’t often lean towards live albums, but in this case the quality is high and it has just a bit more to offer those of us with pirate-specific tastes. However, fans of crusty shanties shouldn’t discount Scallywag, as it has plenty to offer in its own right.

Traditional covers include The Coasts of High Barbary, being a bit more rolling and energetic than is commonly heard, as well as a new rendition of Jolly Rogers’ favorite Pay Me. But as is always the case with the Rogers, it’s in the original content that this album truly shines. Pirate Ship Midnight is a rousing recruiting song, while Devil’s Reach is ripe with adventuresome villainy – guitars and vocals combine to tell a tale that is piratey to the very core. Spirit of the Outlaw, however, may begin (and end) with piracy, but in between it journeys through the ages to explore other sorts of devilry, including highwaymen, gunslingers, and gangsters.

It wouldn’t be The Jolly Rogers without at least some naughtiness. Twisting in the Valley features a series of tongue twisters and the art of being a “cunning linguist” – and if you’ve not yet read between the lines as to the actual content of this song, I can’t help you. Any Port in a Storm is a little more straightforward, albeit not by much – innuendo abounds, while Prime and Load is quite direct… wait, Prime and Load wasn’t dirty – my bad.

Additional tracks worth mentioning are A Bonny Tale (it’s always good to hear a new song about a kick-ass lady pirate) and Day of the Clipper, which is a gorgeour cover of a Schooner Fare classic. The Tempest also caught my ear, as it’s a strangely upbeat song of death at sea – fun if a bit perplexing (my mind also wrestles with shanty classic The Mermaid, for this same reason.)

While Score! is a pirate album very nearly through and through – indeed, perhaps a bit more piratey than many of their albums which sometimes delve a bit deeper into general shanty turf – it does have one song that takes a different tack entirely. Horror Movie Hero 3: Do the Zombie will delight fans of its two predecessors. For myself, I’m thrilled that they’ve moved on from the fictitious silliness of vampires and such and instead are focusing on the very real threat of zombies. Are YOU prepared for the coming invasion?

Definitely an album worth checking out. Thus far in the Jolly Rogers collection, Cutlass, Cannon and Curves has been my undesputed favorite (meaning most awesomely piratey), but Score! just might be the new king.

Much like the Department of Naval Intelligence, I’ve been aware of the Brotherhood of Oceanic Mercenaries (B.O.O.M.) for some time – mainly in that yes, a crew called the B.O.O.M. Pirates exists, that they do most of said existing out in the Pacific Northwest, and that they boast some pretty classy pirate garb. But having not yet done any piratin’ myself in that region it was a great treat to finally get a copy of their CD to experience first hand what they’ve been up to from a musical perspective.

Prepare to be Boarded is the B.O.O.M.’s first album and features 15 tracks, ten of which are traditional, four covers, and one original to the Brotherhood. Most all the songs are performed in a traditionalish, festival manner, complete in many cases with brief opening scenarios. Haule Away Joe, for example, starts with the clear sounds of grumpy pirates hauling lines before the song itself kicks off. When it does, the lyrics of this traditional song come in crisp and strong, accompanied by a slow drumbeat and increasing backup vocals. It’s a fine, steady rendition of this classic – not quite as rough or salty as some renditions, but easily a joy to listen to.

The next several tracks: All for Me Grog, Drunken Sailor, Nelson’t Blood, and Down Among the Dead Men are also traditional, and largely continue in the precedent set by the opening song, with brief scenarios (often the sounds of a pirate pub) followed by clear vocals and a small variety of instruments ranging from guitars to fiddles, and with clear, powerful vocals. Drunken Sailor does stand out in that it features female lead vocals, which lends a bit more credibility to the song than usual (in that it’s easier to believe that women are actually being critical of the drunken sailor, as opposed to when men sing it and are probably at least as drunk as the drunken sailor in question.) Away Santianno also features female lead vocals, with the lyrics modified to suit – again a nice touch, as it always bothers me when I hear a woman’s voice singing – for example “When I was a little boy my mother often told me” – as happens from time to time.

Next up is Boom Shiver Me Timbers – a very fun, slightly haunting song very reminiscent of Mary Poppin’s Chim Chim Cherree. I originally thought this was a piratey version of that very song, although The B.O.O.M. educated me when they explained that it was indeed original, and that the, “inspiration came from many French waltzes and Gypsy tunes that inspired us (which Chim Chim Cherree is also based on.)”

Maid on the Shore is another decent traditional piece, while Scallywagg is a fine cover of the Captain Bogg & Salty classic. Deux Voyages takes a new approach as it’s largely sung in French. It comes in smoothly with guitars and a gypsy swagger beat, and the French vocals make for a nice change of pace (although I keep expecting to see pirate contortionists hovering on the ceiling, as the musical style and French vocals conjure memories of Cirque Du Soleil.)

Smooth is a stark departure from the traditional pace of this album, and a definite delight. The acoustic guitars and drums make incredible use of the stereo medium (especially with high quality speakers), and the fast paced vocals tell a piratey tale with a 90′s Alternative flair that may well be a pirate first. Mingulay Boat Song then returns us to the familiar waters of the traditional, while It’s Another Day has a nice inspirational tone about it. The album concludes with Shanty of the Bells, being a piratey version of Carol of the Bells. Generally I prefer original pirate Christmas songs rather than parodies, but you can’t deny the catchiness of “Yar yar yar yar, yar yar yar yar” (sorry – it doesn’t translate well into text. Buy the album and you can hear it proper.)

Prepare to be Boarded stands solid as a competent pirate shanty album. The opening scenarios get a little tedious after the first listen (I prefer to just get to the music), but the songs themselves are certainly first rate. If you’re looking for a first pirate-shanty album, this is certainly a fine place to start. Collectors might find B.O.O.M.’s versions of the “usual” songs (All For Me Grog, Drunken Sailor, so on…) to be a bit too standard-issue to stand apart from the hordes of other bands covering the same, but this is counter-balanced by many new (or at least lesser known) songs such as Boom Shiver Me Timbers, Scallywagg, Deux Voyages, Smooth, etc. The end product is an album that should be a fine addition for the new or seasoned pirate music enthusiast alike.

– Volume 3
– Volume 4
Genre: Various. Ranges from traditional to metal to lounge. Seriously.
Rating: PG-13
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.

It’s been roughly one year since PPNOM (that’s Pirates for the Preservation of New Orleans Music) released their intital Lafitte’s Return Albums Volumes 1 and 2. They were really the first of their kind – true compilations of pirate and maritime music from about as diverse a range of styles and artists imagineable. From traditional to PirateCore, pirate-dedicated artists to those taking a first stab at a pirate song, it really had much to offer just about anyone with an interest in the pirate music genres.

Now releasing Lafitte’s Return Volumes 3 and 4, PPNOM has once again brought us some of the widest ranging pirate music imaginable. Those looking for an introduction to pirate tunes will be introduced to such established artists as The Skeleton Crew Pirate Band, The Pirates Charles, Roving Tars, Brine&Bastards, Bounding Main, and many others. Also included is Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew with their brilliant pirate rap song Flintlock Glock – a point that bears special mention as it does remove the CD (volume 3) from being truly family-friendly with it’s prolific use of the F-word (but were it clean, it wouldn’t be Dan.) All told, these two CDS – especially if combined with the first two – make about the most thorough introduction to pirate music imaginable.

Veteran fans of pirate music will also find much to their liking. Aside from the artists they already know and (hopefully) love, volumes 3 and 4 offer many bands not yet familiar to most within most pirate communities – The Dread Crew of Oddwood offer a sinister yet upbeat original song, while Pirate Tales are so entirely upbeat as to be suitable to a pirate pep rally. Banana Boat, out of Poland, perform two songs that may or may not be piratey as I don’t understand the language, but remain so entirely melodic that I can hardly find it in my heart to complain. MURSIC, on the other hand, bring an ethereal song that seems to lack any pirattitude whatsoever, save that it’s about an island. I’m also not too fond of I’m less fond of Daniel Marcotte’s “The Pirate’s Widow”, which is more of a “story time with uncle pirate” sort of thing, and might prove tedious for anyone over 12 years old. But these few lesser tracks are more than made up for by the likes of Crow’s Nest with a tune that is nothing short of electronic madness. The Grils performance of The Evil Sea is also highly enjoyable and piratey, as is Jon Baade’s contribution of an industrial version of The Derelict. And I’ve not even mentioned the genius contributions of Thyme Awaye, Kenny Klein, Abney Park, The Scurvy Pirates, Roy Mette, and so many more.

Lafitte’s Return Volumes 1 and 2 were easy to declare “must haves” for any and all music loving pirates, and these two followup volumes hold up remarkably. And with such a large and ever growing variety of pirate music available, I see no reason that PPNOM can’t continue to offer us new such albums indefinitely. The only limiting factor would be that of album covers – each boasting the same artwork, the first two albums were red and blue, with these two newer albums being orange and purple. PPNOM will surely run out of colors long before they run out of pirate music. So in the spirit of being helpful I’ve dumped out my old crayon box and discovered these colors that might be of use once all the normal ones are used up: Vermilion, Bimini, Fawn, Alazarin Crimson, Puce, Carmine, and Burnt Umber.

Now that I’ve gotten the “silly color names” out of my system, you’re free to go buy these albums.

Genre: Contemporary Pirate Folk.
Rating: PG
Target Audience: Anyone – particularly those familiar with prominent historical pirates

Yes, it does occasionally happen that I fully, shamelessly gush my love of a pirate album. So if that doesn’t suit you, then just save yourself the trouble and skip past this review – you don’t need to read it, but you *do* need to buy Roy Metté’s Pirates of the East Coast of the Americas & the Caribbean Sea.

Boasting the wordiest, most awkward title I’ve seen on a pirate album in some time, with Pirates of the East Coast of the Americas & the Caribbean Sea, Roy Metté nonetheless achieves a marvelous perfection in his craft. Being contemporary folk with nothing remotely “folky” about it, Pirates features 14 original songs – most of them inspired by historical pirates – that are each and every one astounding achievements in themselves. The introductory track, Bartholomew Roberts, is a surprisingly perky tale of one of history’s most successful pirates. The guitar work is pleasant yet retrospective, as are the lyrics. Roy’s vocals seem to channel shanty legend Tom Lewis at times, albeit focusing on far more piratey subjects. Throughout the album his subjects and styles range from the pleasant to the ironic to the very, very somber.

Subsequent songs vary widely in pace and style, although quality is consistently high. Calico Jack is something of a left-handed toast, offering the belated pirate a brief raise of the glass, but nothing more. It comes across as tributary yet dismissive, which for those that know the exploits (and end) of Calico Jack may seem perfectly apt treatment. Captain William Kidd, however, is all respect in the most low key, solemn means possible. The tale of Kidd is told through the reflection of his hanging corpse – a concept that could seem unduly morbid, but it’s so eloquently handled that it achieves a level of artistry seldom seen in pirate music. Each song of this album, in fact, is uniquely suited to the characters of the pirates they explore, including Anne Bonny, Black Beard, Jean Lafitte, Charles Vane, and Benito De Soto.

While the vast majority of songs on this album are dedicated to individual pirates, there are a few exceptions. Paradise Island is a song of resignation as an unnamed sailor comes to grips with being marooned and watching his crew sail off without him. Tortuga is a tribute to the famous pirate stronghold, while Sailing Free arguably approaches a true sea shanty with it’s repeated lyrics and near worksong beat. The Articles of Black Bart also stands apart nicely in that it consists of the direct reading of genuine pirate articles against a layered backdrop of guitars. The album concudes with Polly the Parrot of the Caribbean, which makes wonderful wordplay of directions and numbers, utilizing shifts and repetitions to a point that it’s nearly hypnotic. This final song does feature a parrot that sounds a tad silly, but the nature of the song makes the interjection of a bird both fitting and necessary.

It’s called Pirates of the East Coast of the Americas & the Caribbean Sea. It’s by Roy Metté, and you really, really need to own this album.

Genre: Pirate-themed faire music
Rating: PG-13
Target Audience: Grown ups, mostly

By and large, the vast majority of festival pirate music centers around traditional songs. This gives rise to two common problems:

1) Much of it starts to sound the same

and 2) Being as few traditional songs were actually about pirates, there’s often little to differentiate “pirate” music from other festival-driven sea shanties, Irish fighting songs, or bawdy ballads.

In Cannon, Cutlass, and Curves, pirate festival veterans The Jolly Rogers handily trounce these issues with an album that’s almost entirely original compositions. Their songs are fun, irreverent, and yes indeed – piratey. Final tally, in fact, shows no less than an impressive seven songs truly, entirely about pirates. Five more are dedicated to the Jolly Rogers less-than-innocent appreciation of the fairer sex, two more about drinking, and four additional tunes not of pirate, wench, or booze persuasion (although two remain distinctly nautical.)

The album begins with Black Jack Slim’s Cutthroat Inn, a catchy, energized song inviting several notable pirates from history to come have a drink. It’s shamelessly piratey, and a fine start to this album with its strong presence and prominent use of vocals and guitar. Next up is the traditional Haul Away to Botony Bay, a song of Australian servitude as sung by criminals (not exactly piratey, but close enough, I’ll wager.)

Curvy Girls is one of the Jolly Rogers’ signature lady-centric songs – in this case a tribute to “real” women, complete with all the curves and shapes the Jolly Rogers so clearly appreciate. The Fight, however, is a stark return to true pirate music – full of piss and vinegar, this is a song of buccaneering braggadocio, and not one to be missed. Seven Days to Paradise is again a song of feminine-appreciation, in this case the kind you pay for (read that as dockside Barbadian prostitutes.)

Mutiny, while it doesn’t specifically state such, appears a slow and soulful song recounting the tale of the mutiny on the HMS Bounty. The reduced pace of the song doesn’t perfectly mesh with the occasional exclamations of “mutiny!”, but this song otherwise carries a somber, foreboding tone that’s a joy to hear. Cap’n's Keg, on the other hand, is the sailor’s version of a drunken barn dance with it’s twangy flavor and jiggy pace. The lyrics are light and fun, making for a decent if not exactly benchmark song. Wicked, conversely, strikes all the right chords – slow and sad, it’s a song of Henry Every’s exploits recounting his rise to captaincy through his legendary capture of the wealthy Moghul ship, Ganj-I-Sawai.

Goin’ Back to the Sea is an amusing song regarding how hard it is to keep gainful employment ashore, especially for a lad with an affinity for the lady customers. It’s full of innuendo, and a fine example of the Jolly Rogers’ love of not-quite-dirty (or conversely, not-exactly-clean) sea songs.

The Song of a Ship might be considered the most respectable song of the lot, being as it’s the only one here that doesn’t involve women, booze, or violence. Too bad, because it’s actually a very good song – but without the women, booze, or violence, what’s a pirate to do? Up Boys Up presents no such quandary, as it’s clearly a song of young pirate boys serving as ship lookouts. Strong and adventuresome, it’s another excellent addition to the album’s healthy offering of original pirate songs.

The Ladies all Loved Me is the CDs second song of braggadocio, but in this case it’s regarding each pirates physical, er, assets. Or prowess, depending on the nature of each’s gift. It’s a fun, witty, “clean” song featuring innuendo as dirty as it gets. Tap That Cask, however, features no innuendo (despite what you might expect from the title.) Simply an energized song of anticipation of drinking time, this would be one of the few sideline songs of the album – decent, but not really special enough to warrant any particular mention.

Isle of Brest is a marked change in musical style for the Jolly Rogers with its uniquely tropical sound. It’s also another song of innuendo (say Isle of Brest aloud a few times and you’ll guess it’s nature soon enough.) Pirate Boys also boasts a different sound from the rest of the album, as it lacks the guitar featured so effectively throughout the rest of the songs. It’s a decent piece, but the a’capella, combined with a slightly silly temperament, makes it sound a bit more “faireish” than the rest of the album. We Want, however, is a bold, powerful return to the true musical piratey that’s so prominently featured throughout Cannon, Cutlass, and Curves. Utilizing strong acoustic guitar and excellent lyrics about the expectations pirates demand life to deliver, it’s an excellent conclusion to the swashbuckler aspects of this CD. However, two more songs do remain – Wild Gypsy Girl and HMH2 (Horror Movie Hero 2). Both of these final songs are exceptional in their own rights, although they don’t feel like a natural part of this particular album – Wild Gypsy Girl being rather lovey-dovey and twirly for a band that doesn’t exactly seem at home with subjects such as “devotion” or “committment” regarding their love of the female species, and HMH2 a 50′s drive-in style song about kicking monsters butts and killing vampires – great, great fun, but an odd fit.

The final two songs aside, Cannon, Cutlass and Curves is a brilliant pirate album. At worst the songs are decent, and at best they’re outright glorious – and in a one-for-one count, the glorious handily trump the merely decent. A certain must-have for pirate music fans.

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

Let’s be honest – when I reviewed Skip Henderson’s first pirate album, Billy Bones & Other Ditties, I wasn’t exactly charitable. Featuring about 3 decent pirate songs, 1 drop-dead brilliant one, and 13 or so ho-hum ditties, I actually expressed a level of frustration that the sheer genius of the title track, Billy Bones, wasn’t reflected throughout more of the album.

Well, I can assure you that it’s quite the load off my mind that I can this time write a much more enthusiastic review – and no charity needed. Poet & Pirate Overtures begins good and strong, ends somber and haunting, and makes for an enjoyable and varied journey between the two.

Poet & Pirate Overtures features many noteworthy tracks – some piratey, some not. But it begins entirely in a piratey manner… well, sort of. Port of Holy Peter doesn’t directly address pirates, but it does feature a dark tone and dark subject matter regarding slit throats, sea slime, criminals, and all sorts of other unpleasant business. Pirates will surely feel right at home. And what’s more, despite being based on a poem from 1918, it’s somehow eluded other pirate bands, and therefore isn’t a song that seasoned pirate music fans will have already heard a dozen times – old yet new, and a joy to hear.

Also a joy to hear are the album’s many other piratey tracks. Drake’s Drum begins with a march-like guitar strum while Skip’s distinctive salty voice supplies lyrics that provide a snapshot glimpse into Sir Francis Drake’s psychy. As was Holy Peter, this is based on an old poem, but one that’s been somehow overlooked by the scores of other piratically-inclined musicians out there, thus leaving it ripe for Skip Henderson to claim as his own. Drake’s Drum is slow and measured, with lyrics that require some deciphering to properly follow. But understandable or not, it conveys an enjoyably piratey demeanor throughout.

Henry Martin is again a song that’s been around for many a year, although unlike Holy Peter and Drake’s Drum, this one has been well covered by many a pirate band. But for all the times I’ve heard it, it’s never really grabbed my attention. Skip Henderson’s crew, however, has managed to add a unique quality. Through rustic, creepified, and slightly – but effectively – “off” sounding instrumentals, this rendition is something I could only describe as Burtonesqe – it’s easy to envision claymation skeletons playing this song (and yes, that is a compliment in this case.)

A Ballad of John Silver carries forward in this same instrumental quality as it tells the tale of shameless debauchery – splattered brains share center stage with hornpipes and dancing. It’s an odd song of sadistic humor in true pirate fashion.

Return of Billy Bones is the final pirate song of the album and – as one may expect – is something of a sequel to Billy Bones from the previous album. But where the orignal song was wry and sinister, this one is somewhat more worn and nostalgic. It’s the story of a pirate that’s outlived his time, with his mates and enemies long gone. Sad and somber, it’s also beautiful and likely to bring a tear to the eye of even the most jaded of brutes.

While the Poet & Pirate Overtures’ above mentioned pirate offerings are – to me – the album highlights, it also features many non-pirate – albeit certainly nautical – songs as well. Some even feature pirate-friendly subject matter, as in Will Watch the Bold Smuggler and Fineen O’Driscoll, the Rover. While the personalites of each seem a bit up-beat and friendly for pirate music, Will Watch does nicely feature booming cannons in accompaniment, while the distinctly non-piratey Cruise of the Calabar in contrast sings of disaster at sea. It’s enjoyably performed, and piratey or no, it has a nicely calloused sense of humor that makes it good company amongst the more overtly swashbuckling ilk.

However, there are some songs on the album that just don’t make for pirate tunes, no matter how you cut them. Capitol Ship is spunky and folky, while The Water is Wide is just too poetic and heart-felt. A beautiful, lovely listen, certainly – but I doubt Blackbeard would take notice. Paddy Doyle’s Boots, however, sounds as though the entire band was smashed when they sang the thing – and nothing meshes better with pirates than drunken singing.

The Poet & Pirate Overtures is a fine album – much of it is decent shanties and folk songs, but it also features a fine offering of several truly unique pirate songs. That so many of them are derived from seldom visited pirate poems from the past hundred or so years only makes them all the more intriguing.

Genre: Traditional styled “tavern” music
Rating: G
Target Audience: Fans of folk-oriented pirate music

In a world full of festival pirate music, pirate-core music, and pirate parody music (and we love you all), it does seem it’s sometimes hard to find “real” pirate music. These would be tunes performed in the traditional style of dockside taverns, complete with old-fashioned instruments and vocals supplied by voices that were likely yelling “heave the jib to” or “I’ll gut ya like a Spaniard” earlier that same afternoon. But with their new album, affectionately titled “Pirate Scum”, this is exactly what The Brigands brings to the table.

Pirate Scum features a mix of instrumental and vocalized tracks – 8 of the first, and 6 of the second. This alone makes The Brigands stand out, as true piratey intstrumentals are sometimes hard to come by outside of movie soundtracks. On this album, the majority of the instrumentals would qualify as “peppy jigs” – energetic and suitable to bar room dancing or fighting alike. The Little Gale, however, stands out as a more dramatic achievement. It begins like a battle march, with slow drums and a repeating single, deep guitar strum. But then the fiddles join in to add an element of energy – but in this case the energy has a clear danger about it. All the instrumental pieces on Pirate Scum are good, but The Little Gale is on a level of its own – its deeper tones create a sense of forboding even as the fiddles make it clear the pot is already boiling over.

The album’s first vocal track is The Mariner’s Compass is Grog – a title which I must wholeheartedly embrace. The song itself if quite good – slow and affectionate, the singer clarifies just how important grog is to the average swab. Grand Pubs of Yorkshire is also a tributary song, but in this case about the – well, the title sort of makes that clear. Essentially an extended toast in in song form, it strongly embodies the destinctive “real tavern” sound of The Brigands – not polished, but rather crusty and authentic.

On most of this album, the earthiness of The Brigands is an asset to the music. But on Shiver My Timbers, it just doesn’t hold up. Disjointed and awkward, this track is rather hard on the ears. The rushed pace of the performance doesn’t help either. Hanging Johnny, on the other hand, takes its time and makes the most of its rustic appeal. Multiple instruments join a strong yet scratchy voice to make a song that carries an authenticity about it while also remaining an enjoyable listen.

Topman and the Afterguard is easily the most unusual track of the album. The vocals are intentionally distant, and accompanied only by one, single note held steadily throughout. These elements combine for an almost otherworldly effect, and make this both an enjoyable and strangely intriguing song.

The Juice of the Barley closes out the album. More of a silly performance than others on the track, it contains several ad-lib jokes and tangential comments between the lead singer and other performers. It’s likely very amusing live, but on a CD I find this sort of thing distracting.

Summed up, Pirate Scum is a well composed album for anyone seeking “real” tavern music – instrumental or otherwise. Most of it is quite good, and while there are a couple of duds in the mix, there are also a couple stars to help keep the balance.

Genre: Traditional-style shanties with a pirate bent
Rating: PG
Target Audience: Pretty much anyone into traditionalish pirate music

With their album, Ole Zach’s Tavern, the Bone Island Buccaneers strike a delicate balance – they sound polished enough to be musical, but rough enough to still be pirates. All too often a pirate song is sung by a voice that’s clearly never tasted a lick of rum, but I’ve an inkling that the entire crew of Bone Island has indulged in at least a dram or two on occasion.

Ole Zach’s Tavern features 11 traditional tracks that have already seen a fair share of play on pirate and shanty albums nationwide. The remaining tracks include Billy Bones (a cover of Skip Henderson’s own marvelous creation) and one original song, Sword and Iron Thunder.

Traditional pirate songs are becoming a sticking point with me, being as pirate shanty groups seem to be on the rise – as do their CDs. While a dozen essentially similar groups spread across the nation can serve a purpose, having a dozen similar CDs does not. Considering the familiar names in the track list of Ole Zach’s Tavern, this concern was at the forefront of my mind as I gave my first listen. Fortunately, Bone Island Buccaneers inject enough peronality into their music to land the CD just this side of unique. Occasionally this injection of pesonality takes the form of laughs between verses, exclamations of “yo ho” or “drink up me hearties” – but only enough to add flavor, and not so much as to distract. But it’s the music and singing themselves that define this album. The male vocals sound good natured, but hardly angelic – pleasantly roguish. The female vocals have a taste of the vixen about them, but a well-armed vixen with a history of stabbing. As to the instruments, they’re pretty basic – simple guitar strums keeping pace with the singing. But it makes for a fine compliment to the vocals, and the finished package is quite believably piratey.

There seems little reason to delve into this album’s individual tracks – all are well performed and enjoyable. Some feature additional background tavern sounds that add a nice ambiance. But one song that does truly stand out is Sword and Iron Thunder. This song is entirely original to this album, which is what makes it so special. Something of a pirate anthem asking the listener to “embrace the skull and bones”, it’s an excellent addition to a small but distinguished list of exceptional contemporary pirate shanties, and easily holds its own amongst other legendary pirate tunes such as “Billy Bones” and “Shiver My Timbers.”

An enjoyable, decent pirate album, with just enough original flare to distinguish itself from “the herd.”

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.

It’s certainly an oversimplification with more exceptions than rules, but for argument’s sake let’s assume that pirate music differs from good music in that it lacks much of the polish and harmony that is generally considered necessary to make a song worth listening to. But it differs from bad music in that, while rough and raw, it’s still strangely catchy and easy on the ears. And that’s the Pirates Charles.

With the first song, Take Me to Cat Island, The Pirates Charles come across as jovial and shameless in their performance. The recording has a few technical hiccups in the quality, and the music and vocals are entirely jagged, but these are vastly overshadowed by the sheer enthusiasm of the song. What’s more, The Pirates Charles’ rough presentation is so wonderfully perfect that it’s hard to believe it isn’t secretly (and masterfully) contrived. These are not dashing rogues or classy entertainers – these are smelly, smelly pirates, and yet you want to party with them just the same. And, you certainly want to sing along.

The second track, Pirates Charles Anthem, is a bit more aggressive than was the first, and it really works. A prideful song about how awesome it is to be a Pirate Charles, and how being anything else just sucks in comparison. Later songs go on to range all over the place – some songs fast, some slow. Some happy, some somber (but never sober.) Many are R rated and irreverent (Castrate the Governor, Man with Fuller Pants, Cat Island Whores) while others take a different approach. Master and Commander particularly stands out. Where most of the songs on the album truly push the envelope of crusty, shanty punk, Master and Commander takes a much more lyrical tack. Actually sung (rather than melodiously yelled), it brings strong phantoms of Tendacious D and makes for a wonderful change of pace.

Rowmans Row is another song that stands out. Haunting guitars and drums introduce brutal cries of “stroke”, which contrast well with the forboding vocals detailing the Norsemen’s seemingly endless journeys across the sea. The lyrics suit the content, but this song also goes one better in conjuring a true, woeful atmosphere of iceburgs and eternal rowing.

At 17 tracks, this album is an abundance of piratey brilliance. Most of the songs come from the rough, scratchy, banjo and guitar school of music – sometimes jiggy, sometimes aggressive, and sometimes adventurous. While truly unique songs (compared to the rest of the album) such as Master and Commander and Rowmans Row are a rarity – and stand out all the more because of it – the remainder are still surprisingly diverse in pace, content, and attitude. That such a primitive facade can conceal music so entirely engrossing is a major feat. Oft times a true pirate song requires a good dose of rum to be enjoyable, but with LIVE Scalliwaggs, you feel drunk from the music alone (although on principle, rum is still recommended.)