2019 Album Reviews

Here we have all the albums released in 2019 that we here at the Inn have access to. A reminder on how we do reviews on the show. I write my thoughts as I listen to the album and give each song a score out of five. The ratings are the averages of each album. I am in no way qualified to give my opinion but as the Proprietor of the Inn I do feel duty bound to do reviews of the bands, for the bands and for our listeners as well.

Fanny by Capt’n Tor & The Naer Do Well Cads Pirate Invasion

What Capt’n Tor & the Naer-Do-Well-Cads Pirate Invasion have managed to do is create an original sound that is uniquely theirs. They have the entire band involved and are just as good live as they are on this album. Every song on this album is something you can dance to and if I’m being honest the score is probably even higher if one of the songs hadn’t been on a previous release; even it was changed slightly.

Planned Piratehood by The Bilge Pumps

With this album it feels like The Bilge Pumps wanted to remind everyone that they’re not just the funny, comedy pirate band; that they’re talented musicians who can make beautiful music. They do that with a mixture of originals, parodys and covers and is a great exclamation point on a run that has spanned two decades and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Any Requests? by Cheeks & Phoenix

Overall a very strong, solid release from Cheeks & Phoenix. It’s easy to see how these songs are their most requested and I think it also does a solid job of giving you an idea of what one of their sets would be like without it being a live album. Definitely recommend picking it up for those who are the more traditional style fans and I look forward to their next release.

The Kraken Sleepeth-EP by Shank Painters

I for one am a big fan of their sound and original songs. Lyrically I find them amazing and I think it’s definitely one of those albums where you will need to listen multiple times to catch everything they have put into it. They may be the closest thing in the states to that Swedish style.

Into the North by The Dreadnoughts

This may have been the most anticipated album by some of our listeners this year. While some of the songs don’t exactly reinvent the wheel they all have that distinct Dreadnought sound to them. There are some classic with that Dreadnought spin that really work as well as some beautiful originals. Bonus for releasing the album on vinyl as well.

The Purple Headed Monster by The Minstrel Rav’n

Our one pure bawdy album this year, The Minstrel Rav’n has been a welcome addition to the Inn this year. As you browse through the song titles you will get an immediate idea of what you’re in store for. He writes what he witnesses and hears about so a great deal of this album will sound familiar (the stories of the songs not the songs themselves) if you have spent any time at a renaissance faire.

Down-EP by Stormfrun

This EP definitely has that Swedish Pirate Armada feeling and sound to it. That actually is probably my biggest complaint actually, it’s only an EP. The album leaves you wanting more and it just feels like there is more there that is waiting to be told. I eagerly look forward to the next full length Stormfrun album.

Sail On by The Crimson Pirates

You can definitely tell the influence the Roving Blades have had on the Crimson Pirates since joining with the band. A technical issue that bugged me was instruments overpowering the vocals at times. There is good use of all members of the band as far as I could tell. A good portion of the album is what you would expect for some faire favorites but boy do they know how to finish. There are some fantastic takes at the end of the album namely Northwest Passage and Johnny Jump Up.

Time II: Party by Rumahoy

Many of us were quite excited when Rumahoy announced their new album. This is largely due to them being one of the more out there bands in the pirate community and in this they do not disappoint. I mean there’s even a song about Harambe, The Pirate Gorilla. Perhaps though this time they went too far out there to their detriment. There are some bright spots to be sure but not as a complete album as they’ve had in the past.

Daylight is Fading by Pyrolysis

One of our more “folksy” band who do pirate music, Pyrolysis always puts out beautiful tunes. Now some more traditional pirate music listeners may not be down with it but I found most of this album stunning. They have fantastic use of different instruments, especially on their squeeze box.

The Saltiest Thing (you’ve had all week) by The Boarding Crew

The Boarding Crew without a doubt have one of the more interesting and unique sounds out there in the pirate community. This album has one of the most original takes on Drunken Sailor I’ve heard in a long time.Their album and songs always reminds me of storytelling with background music. My one drawback with this album is they go a bit heavy with the non-music thematic sounds for a bit too long.

Eyepatches & Hooks by Captain Dan & the Scurvy Crew

This album surprised many on the release by having a much more modern sound than in the past. Not the lyrics, those seem to hold with what they’ve done previously, but the beats themselves. Maybe it’s my preference to the midwest and west coast style of beats, and this is a much more east coast sound, but it just didn’t work for me like Captain Dan has in the past.