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I’m not sure if it’s the pronounced accents or the bouncy, guitar-driven pop, but Pete and the Pirates sound so very English. One supposes this has something to do with The Beatles. Four fresh-faced, mop- topped lads with voices like angels and talent to boot? That’s basically the Holy Grail of Brit bands. If the Beatles reached artistic enlightenment with their White Album, Pete and the Pirates similarly get weird on One Thousand Pictures. Their press kit lists the album’s dominant themes as “motorcycles, blood, sex, guns and insanity,” which I found simultaneously intriguing and terrifying.
During the interim between their debut, Little Death, and the current release One Thousand Pictures, the Pirates have dabbled in edgier mechanics while still maintaining a feel-good pop sensibility. This is often difficult to do, as evidenced by the number of failed attempts that subvert American radio waves. One Thousand Picturesis as charming as it is curious. While the basic concept is more approachable than avant garde, the album veers slightly off-kilter in such a way that’s not apparent at first listen. Take the first track, “Can’t Fish,” which combines a meandering waltz with a strange tweaking synth and Thomas Sanders’ soaring-yet-controlled vocals. It calls to mind Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie, how Sanders builds momentum but never…quite…reaches…that…climax. Sure, the song peaks, but it doesn’t alleviate the general unease produced by the opening line “Something you fear has just come to town.” In fact, just as the narrative intimates mysterious doings, the backing music is equally foreboding. The Pirates have created their own little Twin Peaks, where nothing is as it seems.
It’s an obvious progression, then, for the album to only get grittier and scarier from this point forward. “Little Gun” is either a delightful ode to firearms or a song about pulling the trigger on a loaded relationship. Is “United” a sad commentary on the consequences of hedonism? Or is it about doin’ it? “Things That Go Bump” is particularly distressing when Sanders advises his girl “I’m going to steal all of your thoughts,” like a page from John Hinckley Jr.’s lost diary. It’s all quite romantic if one imagines their love interest in Hitchcockian hues. “Half Moon Street,” the album’s first single, is—predictably—the friendliest track, with its gentle launch, unambiguous lyrics, and just enough guitar fuzz to appease the indie plebs.
Pete and the Pirates are Thomas Sanders, Peter Hefferan, David Thorpe, Jonny Sanders and Peter Cattermoul. They will be releasing “Half Moon Street” as a digital download on August 29th. Watch the music video HERE. One Thousand Pictures is available now on iTunes. In September, the Pirates embark on a three month tour of Europe. For a complete list of dates visit: peteandthepirates.co.uk. The band is also on Facebook (but are they on Google+???).
During the interim between their debut, Little Death, and the current release One Thousand Pictures, the Pirates have dabbled in edgier mechanics while still maintaining a feel-good pop sensibility. This is often difficult to do, as evidenced by the number of failed attempts that subvert American radio waves. One Thousand Picturesis as charming as it is curious. While the basic concept is more approachable than avant garde, the album veers slightly off-kilter in such a way that’s not apparent at first listen. Take the first track, “Can’t Fish,” which combines a meandering waltz with a strange tweaking synth and Thomas Sanders’ soaring-yet-controlled vocals. It calls to mind Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie, how Sanders builds momentum but never…quite…reaches…that…climax. Sure, the song peaks, but it doesn’t alleviate the general unease produced by the opening line “Something you fear has just come to town.” In fact, just as the narrative intimates mysterious doings, the backing music is equally foreboding. The Pirates have created their own little Twin Peaks, where nothing is as it seems.
It’s an obvious progression, then, for the album to only get grittier and scarier from this point forward. “Little Gun” is either a delightful ode to firearms or a song about pulling the trigger on a loaded relationship. Is “United” a sad commentary on the consequences of hedonism? Or is it about doin’ it? “Things That Go Bump” is particularly distressing when Sanders advises his girl “I’m going to steal all of your thoughts,” like a page from John Hinckley Jr.’s lost diary. It’s all quite romantic if one imagines their love interest in Hitchcockian hues. “Half Moon Street,” the album’s first single, is—predictably—the friendliest track, with its gentle launch, unambiguous lyrics, and just enough guitar fuzz to appease the indie plebs.
Pete and the Pirates are Thomas Sanders, Peter Hefferan, David Thorpe, Jonny Sanders and Peter Cattermoul. They will be releasing “Half Moon Street” as a digital download on August 29th. Watch the music video HERE. One Thousand Pictures is available now on iTunes. In September, the Pirates embark on a three month tour of Europe. For a complete list of dates visit: peteandthepirates.co.uk. The band is also on Facebook (but are they on Google+???).
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