I started looking at music anniversaries a few weeks back as a way to easily organise myself for these Throwback Thursday classic reviews. And I’ve got stuck at 15 years ago ever since. 2008 was an era, before I became old and jaded, where I could enthusiastically get into loads of new indie bands, without the scepticism of feeling like I’d heard it all before.
Pete and the Pirates
Little Death
Pete and the Pirates are a band I haven’t thought about for years, but when I was reminded of them I immediately thought back fondly to seeing them live. When my income was a bit more disposable and I’d make time to see any half-decent band that passed through town. Although, now I’m doubting myself, and think I might have confused it with The Rumble Strips. This might just be my nostalgic ramblings, but there was shitloads of decent bands around this time that have been unfairly labelled as landfill indie and forgotten about (although, the fact I mixed them up with another band probably doesn’t help my argument).
Pete and the Pirates perfectly encapsulate that era. A group of geeky-looking dudes knocking out FIFA and Channel 4 sitcom-soundtracking, indie bangers. Again, this may be ‘things were better in my day’ nostalgia, but there’s just nowhere near as much of this sort of stuff about anymore (or at least not getting mainstream attention). I’d argue that Wet Leg are probably a bit of a modern equivalent, but they feel a lot rarer nowadays and are out there winning Grammys and shit. I think these sort of tunes may almost be too catchy for their own good. Like there’s a disposable-ness to them, as if they’re not to be taken as seriously as the cooler, moodier bands.
I was bang into this album and then have no memory of them beyond that. They did release a second album a few years later; if I did listen to that it’s been completely erased from my mind. They then quietly broke up, although a few of the members reformed and are still going strong under the name Teleman. I’ve now had a quick listen to them and they’re worth checking out as well (some links below). It’s a bit of a maturation of the Pirates’ sound. Which is a boring way to put it, but feels accurate as it’s slightly darker, bringing in more electro influences, while still having that pop sensibility underneath it all.
Anyway, this Pete and the Pirates album. From the off, it’s full of massive guitar hooks, pounding drums, and big choruses. By my count, there’s 5 certified bangers here. Mr Understanding is the most memorable; a ridiculously catchy tune, complete with an obnoxious “duh, duh, duhduh” singalong. Now, the vocals are fine, but can be off-putting as it does sound slightly like Alan Partridge fronting an indie-pop band.
But, it’s not all one trick. The album mostly flows at a good pace, with a few well-placed softer tracks providing a breather and adding some emotion amongst the commotion. It probably does run a couple of tracks too long though, cutting it at a tight 30 minutes would have made for a stronger album.
I’m gonna contradict what I said earlier slightly and say that it probably does lack a bit of depth that would really make it something special. Nonetheless, this is a cracking little album, and makes for a nice little nostalgia trip. And if you’ve never heard it before, then some newly discovered bangers await you.
To check out previous classic reviews check out the Throwback Thursday archive.
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