Greenland Whalefishers--Songs from the Bunker. Awesome record by a bunch of Norwegians from Bergen. There's a lot to like here, trust me. They are like a heavier rougher Pogues, and Arvid the vocalist sounds like a cross between Joe Strummer and Popeye. They sing with guts and passion. It's difficult to believe that these guys are not from the old sod!
One of things that I especially like about these guys is that they chart their own territory. While the album works in the same tradition that the Pogues do, they do not pay a lot of obeisance to the past. When you hear the subject matter, it is clearly set in the present day, and not in Galway or Dublin or Boston, but in their hometown. And as an added bonus the songs have that dark Scandinavian sensibility present in the old Sagas and carried forward to the 21st Century.
But Songs from the Bunker never fails to deliver, and despite the heavy lyrics, the album is a lot of rich, thrashy fun. After hearing this album, its clear they are a group that would be fantastic live.
I don't really have that much more to say about these guys, except that they make a perfect soundtrack for St Patty's Day shenanigans. Songs From the Bunker is the only disc I have by these guys and I recommend it wholeheartedly. It also seems to be the most easy to obtain, though a lot of their music can be readily downloaded. Trust me, if you like Celtic music like DropKick Murphys, The Tossers, and of course, The Pogues, this will not disappoint.
Slainte!
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