Pirates Canoe and their debut album, “One For The Pain In MyHeart,” defy easy classification. The lead song, “On Being Unknown,” begins
with beautiful, Norah Jones style vocals layered over soothing, Manhattan,
cocktail-jazz rhythms. “Guitar Blue” follows with a straight-from-Appalachia feel;
complete with fiddle and mandolin. The third song, “Matty Malloy” begins as an
acoustic, singer-songwriter ballad and ends with a full tilt Irish reel.
Even the band name is hard to fathom. Did they leave out a
possessive apostrophe? Is it a canoe that belongs to pirates? Or is it a simple
statement, as in: “On their day off from plundering, pirates canoe”?
But as confounding as all these contradictions are, the
biggest one by far is that Pirates Canoe are from Kyoto, Japan. Yes, that Japan. The home of sushi, sumo, and
samurai is now the home of some sweet Americana (Japanicana?) music!
Apparently distance is no barrier to discovering one’s own
inner rhythms. This sextet clearly grew up with an ear toward the West. Their
musical influences tap into all four of America’s great music streams: Jazz,
Country, Blues, and Rock. And without the assistance of a big time LA producer
telling them what genre they are; they are able to combine all of these styles
into a sumptuous musical smorgasbord that’s part Norah Jones, part Carper
Family, part Squirrel Nut Zippers and just a touch of Fleetwood Mac. But at the
same time, Pirates Canoe is totally original.
Lead singer, Elizabeth Etta’s ethereal voice floats dreamily
over the earthy rhythms of her accomplished bandmates. In addition to the
aforementioned trio of songs, other standouts include the pub-ballad, “Gull
Flying North,” the jazzy, “Blind Is Love” and the unbelievably cool, countrified
version of the B52’s “Love Shack.” From start to finish, “One For The Pain In
My Heart” is filled with delicious and often unexpected syncopations. So to
Pirates Canoe I bid a hearty “Thank ye mateys!” and a “Domo arigato!” for adding
a little soy and ginger spice to the Americana scene.
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