23 Dec 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking
  • Articles »
  • Reviews »
  • Wellington Sea Shanty Society - Album review: Now That Is What I Call Sea Shanties Vol. 02

Wellington Sea Shanty Society - Album review: Now That Is What I Call Sea Shanties Vol. 02

09 Jul 2015 // A review by Andrew Smit

A refreshingly traditional collection of sea faring tunes have set sail and once on board you will be smiling and swaying with its fine sound and rollicking rhythms. This is music that will warm the soul and lift your spirits with its fun and frivolity, but it’s no novelty music, oh no it's real music with strong worldly arrangements and a rich form of melodic storytelling, which the Wellington Sea Shanty Society have achieved so very well with this album.

As mentioned the music is truly traditional and it’s such a delightfully good and rare thing, as these days everyone seems to think you have to meld some new dub beat to everything with synthetic effects. Here the traditional sound is achieved with a predominant Piano Accordion working to the steady beat, and swaying with warm fills and trills. There are hearty backing vocals full of cheery chants and hollers, like in the marvellous Hori Waiti which will have you joining in, as you take in the very Kiwi story “across the sea”.

Many songs are great to dance to; Blood Red Roses and NZ Whales will have yer foot a tappin’ and a hand a slappin’, while All For Me Grog will take you back to the first time you learnt Drunken Sailor and will have you singing and wishing you had a jug of ale to revel in as well. There are beautiful melodies and gentler tempos as shown in lovely We're Not In London Now and the mesmeric Dry Land.

A hearty throwback to the days of ole, the Sea Shanty sound produced by the Wellington Sea Shanty Society is for everyone, young and old, there’s no need to be on a ship, this is music that you can escape to another time and place, where you can and sail away from any anxieties and feel care free, so much so you can almost smell the salt, and the wind and the waves!

 

About Wellington Sea Shanty Society

New Zealand's Most 'Sea Worthy' Shanty Group™ the Wellington Sea Shanty Society have been belting out traditional sea songs from Aotearoa, France, Spain, the UK and more, for 3 years now. Sailors and landlubbers from across the country have been battered by the rousing chorus of this two-man tempest of pure shanty. The W.S.S.S believe that 'a shanty shared is a shanty savoured', so they pass out shanty song sheets to one and all so people can sing along,

The W.S.S.S comprise Vorn Dont le Père Etait Marin, from the indie pop band Vorn (www.vorn.co.nz), and Lake Davineer, from the electro pop band Urbantramper (www.urbantramper.com). Vorn is on squeeze box duties, while Lake strums the git-fiddle. Rousing harmonies and raucous foot-stomping abound!


Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Wellington Sea Shanty Society

Releases

Ahoy
Year: 2018
Type: Album
The Cook Strait Demos
Year: 2012
Type: EP

Other Reviews By Andrew Smit

Album Review: 1 Drop Nation
20 Dec 2022 // by Andrew Smit
Opening with a very spiritual Maori haka Intro - Waerea, we were introduced to the opening track Homeland, which is an unashamedly patriotic Aotearoa anthem with repeated strains of "We are one nation". This is a track that proudly declares love for home, while also being a rally call for the future.
Read More...
Tahini Bikini - Album Review: Fever Dream
15 Nov 2022 // by Andrew Smit
An album full of very danceable funk tunes, loaded with tight guitar, bass, brass and percussion that provide a perfect foundation for the expressive soulful vocals of Madeline Lucy Taylor. Her unique clarity is reminiscent of Amy Winehouse or our own Kiwi songstress Gin Wigmore.
Read More...
Haze Lane - Single/Video Review: Natural Feeling
22 Aug 2022 // by Andrew Smit
Matching the songs title very aptly South Auckland indie band Haze Lane has produced Natural Feeling, a very organic song that does indeed deliver a very smooth natural feeling. The ultra-cool ambient sound is reminiscent to the early roots sound of Six60 and L.
Read More...
Gig Review: Anthonie Tonnon @ Hollywood Cinema, Auckland - 14/05/2022
16 May 2022 // by Andrew Smit
On a coolish Saturday evening it was great to see a rather large crowd that clearly were so happy and eager to experience a night of live music, and what a perfect venue to stage it at the slightly musty but still majestic Hollywood Cinema in Avondale. Opening the proceedings was the cool 4 piece band Lips with their ambient 80’s groove thanks to the techno synth sounds from keyboardist and singer Steph Brown.
Read More...
Vogel Town - Single Review: Sludge City
24 Apr 2022 // by Andrew Smit
Interestingly Vogel Town's new song Sludge City begins with an automated telephone voice, and then a street argument which is soon accompanied by a very groovy walking bass line, quickly growing from just a couple of notes to a broad melody of its own. At first the only addition is some nice, nonchalant drum fills, but as the background street noise fades away, the introduction of vibrant reverberating guitar strums adds a final element that completes the ensemble perfectly, and altogether this provides a very cool bluesy vibe.
Read More...
SKRAM - Single Review: Living Our Lives
22 Mar 2022 // by Andrew Smit
Beginning with some straightforward but quite funky keys your soon steered to a very upbeat and chunky ensemble of music that energetically drives along with its super groovy reggae vibe. SKRAM are a very high energy 3-piece pop group that have delivered a fine tune that embodies their claim of “energetic” perfectly.
Read More...
Tomorrow People - Album Review: 21
02 Jan 2022 // by Andrew Smit
Tomorrow People have produced a wonderful assemblage of uplifting reggae tunes that are performed and sung with heart and purpose. All 16 tracks are packed with brilliant harmonies that are propelled along by the glorious uplifting off beat rhythmic delight that reggae music delivers so well.
Read More...
Torn Chorus - Single/Video Review: This City Floats
10 Sep 2021 // by Andrew Smit
From a simple opening beat to a wonderful flourish of acoustic guitars layered with luscious chorus and flange effects, the new single from Torn Chorus, This City Floats, is brought to life with wailing electric lead guitar licks and slides that sound melodically precise and emotive. Crisp vocals tell you about the labour and reward that you get for following the beaten path to the top, which as the video shows so well, is Auckland’s remnant volcanic cones, but the metaphor could be used for any journey in life.
Read More...
View All Articles By Andrew Smit

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • APT.
    ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
  • DIE WITH A SMILE
    Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
  • BIRDS OF A FEATHER
    Billie Eilish
  • TASTE
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
    Gracie Abrams
  • ESPRESSO
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • SAILOR SONG
    Gigi Perez
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
    Shaboozey
  • GOOD LUCK, BABE!
    Chappell Roan
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem