Today, I would like to write something about Swedish
pirate band Ye Banished Privateers’ new CD and third studio album First
Night Back in Port which will be released on June 30 via Napalm Records.
So let me take you on a journey through time. Back to
the 17th century to a tavern close to the ocean. You can hear the
sound of the sea and the screams of the seagulls. A drum starts playing and a
lass softly starts singing her song.
ANNABELL (HAUL AWAY TO GEORGIA)
I remember falling in love with this beautiful ballad
the second I heard it. Magda Andersson has such a magical voice and the power
to put all the right emotions in the lyrics she is singing and this song just
fits her talent perfectly. In Annabell, she sings about a young woman who has
gone through a lot of trouble and hard work, died in the end and “resting in
the ground in a grave in Georgia”. The melody and beat is really catchy and
always reminds me of oriental music. When you listen to Annabell your hips
start moving automatically. I also love the powerful solo before the bridge
which introduces the climax of the song.
In between the Annabell song and the next song you
enter the tavern.
A NIGHT AT THE SCHWARZER KATER
In this song the singer, Peter Mollwing, sings about
his awful hangover after a night at the tavern “Schwarzer Kater” where he drank
too much rum and cherry beer. He wakes up to a noisy environment and can’t
remember what happened. The noise is included in the song because you can hear
pipes and flutes and it gets noisier and noisier after every verse. This song
is a perfect sing along song especially because the band wrote it after an
actual night at the “Schwarzer Kater” tavern. The melody gets sloppier in the
end to express the drunkenness of the vocalist and it’s really funny to listen
to his “ordeal”.
The tavern party continues with the eponymous song.
FIRST NIGHT BACK IN PORT
This song is the title song of the album and tells a
story about sailors who come back to port after a long journey and what they do
now. It is a very dynamic song with a lot of different vocalists and changes in
speed like the high speed violin parts. The lyrics are quite harsh but make the
song even more authentic. The singers are awesome and diverse and create a
great atmosphere. Worth mentioning is the 360 degree video the band published
when they released the song. You should definitely watch it.
It’s getting a little softer now.
ALL THE WAY TO GALWAY
A shanty style song with a strong choir chorus and an
even stronger Peter Mollwing singing the leads. I personally love the chorus.
It reminds me of a Waltz because the melody is simple and the rhythm is slow
but you really want to sing along when listening to it. The Privateers describe
the song as a two song in one song. One part, the chorus and slower sung parts,
is “a bit of a sentimental Irish idealized ballad” while the other part is “angry
and deals with the harsh reality of the involuntary drafting system of the navy”.
So one part is more like a love song and the other a lament. The switching
between the parts feels like a dialogue between two sides of the life back in
the day. An ingenious songwriting.
We’re still in the tavern and a lass steps forward.
COOPER’S RUM
This song is an ode to a pirate’s favorite drink: rum.
Magda Andersson once again shows here incredible strong voice when she starts
singing. I would consider Cooper’s Rum a typical shanty due to its melody and
structure. The male choir who shares the chorus with the singer creates a
feeling of a hymn (to rum).
SKYPPY AYE YO
A song the Privateers play for years already has
finally found its way on a CD. A melancholic but powerful shanty that begins
really soft but ends intense. The melody creates a heavy atmosphere but I
personally love this a lot. The song tells a story about a “wretched crew” and
its members.
I DREAM OF YOU
I remember hearing this song for the first time at
Pirate Folk Night in Hameln, Germany and loved it immediately. The song tells a
story of a young sailor, sung by Jim Sundström, who is longing for his family
on the way to America. He is a fugitive because he was actually sentenced to
prison in Australia. The backing vocals during the instrumental parts and
verses in the song are really nice as well as the flute and violins. All
together they make a very harmonic song.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
One of my favorite songs from the CD and from the
Privateers. A sort of protest song due to the hard living conditions people at
the colonies had to face every day. The verses address these problems while the
chorus is a proclamation to rise against the governor. The song starts steady and gathers speed and
power during the choruses. A great sing along song.
FOR A FRAGILE MOMENT’S EASE
A track I didn’t recognize but really start liking. It
is about a sailor and what he had to do to survive – a lot of bad things
included. Like many Privateers songs it begins slow and gains speed during the
song. Untypical about this song is the fact that it’s sung by only one vocalist
and the flute an violin are the most concise instruments in this song.
WE ARE YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS
THE Privateers song was finally recorded!! Known by
many fans for years because it’s sung at almost every gig, we can finally sing
along to it while listening to the album. The ultimate hymn with its catchy
tune and lyrics. I like the intro of this song a lot where Peter talks about an
encounter with King Charles at a tavern in Belfast. The song lives on its
chorus, dialogues, dynamic and the story that is told about the Privateers. A
perfect dancing song for a party!
BOSUN’S VERSES
A great shanty due to the “Hey ho” parts in the chorus,
it is about the crew’s bosun and his hard life at sea. Not the most complex but
catchy song.
EASTINDIAMEN
I only recently fell in love with this beautiful
shanty. Once again it has – in my interpretation – some oriental flair in its
melody which I really like. Another song sung by a lass, the talented Sarah
Wallin who gives this song a strong voice sings about all the sailors who lost
their lives at sea. The violin duets combined with the accordion and flutes and
the significant beat make this song a real earworm.
DEVIL’S BELLOW
A couple years ago, Björn Malmros’ accordion was
stolen after a gig in Germany. A real tragedy considering the fact that these
instruments quite expensive. But a solution was found quickly because the fans
decided to donate money so that in the end Björn could buy a beautiful Brandoni
accordion. BTW this event was also the birth of the fanclub, the Privateers of
Libertalia. And this is a song dedicated to them as a thank you. The 9:34
minutes long song includes all the names of the people who donated something to
buy a new accordion. It is really funny because a lot of things happen to each
person so you should definitely listen to it and pay attention. J
RINGAROO AT COOPER’S INN
A song that sounds like a lullaby but actually turns
out to be a really naughty song. Sung as a duet with the main melody played by
the miniature piano at first it becomes a strong and ironic piece of music that
you shouldn’t take too serious. One of the fans’ earworms.
MERMAID’S KISS
The last and quite new song on the album. A beautiful
and sad ballad about a couple that can’t be together. The lyrics and melody are
very emotional which makes it a nice song to take a break from everyday life.
The polyphonic parts in the song are pure magic. The long outro with the flute
and violin is just perfect!
To conclude, Ye Banished Privateers’ new CD is
absolutely amazing. With First Night Back in Port the band outdid themselves by
writing a masterpiece with a unique sound and authentic lyrics. With a passion
for detail as heard in all the background tavern and ocean sounds and seen in
the CD booklet, it brings you back to the origin of Irish Folk and sea shanties.
A truly unique piece of music you will definitely fall in love with.
I am sure that First Night Back in Port is just the
beginning of a musical journey we will all go on with the band and its
incredibly talented and creative members.
Want to know more about who’s behind Ye Banished
Privateers?
www.yebanishedprivateers.com
Photo by Jim Sundström
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