Whenever Kavus Torabi has come up with interesting twists
and ideas from his work with Guapo, Knifeworld, Gong, and Karda Estra to name a
few, I always get a kick to see what he will think of next. This next adventure
for Kavus, is like a trip into the adventurous seas. That is Admirals Hard.
They are an underground folk ‘supergroup’ in which they
formed by Cornishman Andy Carne back 14 years ago while he was in a spell of
exile in London. He convinced fellow bandmates from the West Country of
bringing the songs he was singing when Andy himself was a kid. From the
Avant-Rock, Chamber, and Experimental groups/artists raging from North Sea
Radio Orchestra, Mediaeval Baebes, Stars in Battledress, and William D. Drake,
they put the electric instruments aside as they lend Carne a helping hand.
Their long-awaited debut album released this year is
entitled, Upon A Painted Ocean. Released
on Kavus’ label Believers Roast, it is a traditional folk musical singing for
Carne’s love of the genre. Andy Carne’s voice at times resembles the essence of
Richard Digance and Fairport Convention’s Dave Swarbick and Trevor Lucas. The
moment I’ve listened to this, I’ve really got a kick out of this and knowing
that Andy and his fellow crew are on a pirate ship singing these songs and
knowing that it’s time for the rum to drink and following the bouncing ball
when you hear these songs.
You can imagine both Andy and Kavus are the Captains of the
ship as the crew members including Daniel Chudley, James Larcombe, Richard
Larcombe, Sarah Measures, and Paul Westwood give the help and go on a journey
through their adventures and the songs that will make you smile and at times
get a kick out of the harmonium (pump organ). Not to mention a few centerpieces
that made me smile throughout the entire album.
A traditional dance for a good time, but once you add a
clapping rhythm along to the Jig approach for a Folk-Classical twist in the
styles of Johann Sebastian Bach featuring both the Harmonium, Accordion, and
Acoustic Guitars, it makes it enthusiastic with The Random Jig/I’ll Get Married In My Auld Claes.
With some of the acapella pieces thrown in there of the sea
shanties while the sailors singing while they were on the ships to accompany
the labors on boarded sailing ships with trading vessels, songs like Whip Jamboree/Let the Bulgine Run feature
the rhyming stimulating stanza lyrics with evocative rhythms followed by foot
tapping sections from the instruments.
Their take of Burl Ives’ Hullabaloo
Belay is a bright and enjoyment yet haunting take of the classic done in
the style of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera while getting into the Celtic Folk-Punk
attitude into a joyful mood of The Pogues’ cover of South Australia. But it’s Rounding
the Horn that really made my eyebrows lit up even more.
We have a spacious atmosphere of the song that clocks in at
7-minutes long, you can imagine the seven piece group after getting off the
ship from the cargo they carry with them, walking into an eerie situation where
this is nobody there as if you can imagine a pin drop in this Ghost Town they
are walking into. The stirring vocals set the tone as the accordion and
electric guitar itself carries the droning finale that gave me goosebumps
throughout the entire piece.
The band will be performing on July 23rd at the
Islington in London and the album’s release this coming Friday, it will give
Admiral’s Hard a lot of recognition since they were doing 10 years of
roof-raising performances in the pubs and clubs in London and in the South
West. Upon a Painted Ocean is a must
have and the 7-piece band and Andy Carne have done a spectacular job bringing
the sea shanties brought to life in this amazing form.
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