The little known but incredibly talented Pete and the Pirates, a quartet of rockers from Reading, England, have announced a newly redesigned website ahead of the their long overdue second album. Yesterday the site went live offering not one… not two… but a total four free new songs for anyone to download. They called it the “Precious Tones” EP, and you can either download mp3s of each track or stream the whole thing by going here.
Their debut album came out in February of 2008, entitled Little Death. I first went to it after hearing Tap Tap’s first album, Lanzafame a side project from Pete singer Tommy Sanders because I had read David Bowie endorsed the first track on the album, “100,000 Thoughts.” Sure enough, a Bowie-esque sensibility of intricate melodies charmed me immediately. I also heard Lanzafame was a great example of vinyl manufacturing, and it certainly delivered (it even has a bonus track not on the CD), hence my link to the vinyl version above. But there is also a CD and mp3 version available for the vinyl-impaired.
Both albums are immediately arresting in their catchiness and complex melodies, and both Pete and the Pirates and Tap Tap both sound like neater versions of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah mixed with the bravado of Franz Ferdinand. As a result of being no less than blown away by the consistency of both albums, I went and bought and downloaded anything I could find from the group. Their label’s website has a comprehensive discography of both P&P and Tap Tap for purchase. You can puruse Stolen Recordings’ catalog here.
I first heard about this second album before Tap Tap even released its second album, On My Way, which was sometime last year. It’s good to hear its closer to release. So far no title, but I’ll keep you informed, hopefully with a review of the vinyl.
These guys are awesome! first post (I know, I’m a geek).