Great bands are usually those in which talented people are able to unite behind a singular artistic vision, the varying strengths of each member forging the band into more than the sum of its parts. At least until Paul and John stop talking or Slash quits the band because Axl won’t stop being a raging dick. Thus, there’s something appealing about one man mastering multiple instruments so he can make the music he wants to make without anyone derailing his focus. Though this approach can lead to tragic results (See: Phil Collins, Both Sides (1993)), Washington D.C. local Mike Boggs of We Were Pirates has made a name for himself by single-handedly crafting infectious power-pop gems. Boggs has added a few more mates to his crew (that’s the only pirate pun I will make) on the band’s new album “Change,” while retaining the charm and positivity for which We Were Pirates has become known.
You’ve probably heard We Were Pirates and didn’t realize it. His songs have been featured on programs that span the intellectual gamut, from Chicago Public Radio’s This American Life’s “Breakup” episode, to MTV’s The Real World: DC. With catchy hooks and a voice that sounds a bit like a young Ben Gibbard, it’s easy to understand why. On Change, Boggs has taken a tenuous step into power-pop with a harder edge. Now the melodies are backed by a more aggressive, thumping baseline. The guitar riffs border on garage rock, as filtered through the candy coating of Fountains of Wayne and Matthew Sweet. It’s a direction that works and injects enough new energy into the We Were Pirates formula to keep it fresh.
Despite the generally harder sound, Boggs seems most at home on the album’s smattering of softer, mid-tempo tracks, including the album’s title track, “Change.” Vocal harmonies soar over a bed of sparkly guitar and piano that are pushed along by the insistent bass line. Boggs’ decision to put the bass high in the mix serves the album well. The vocals are solid and the lead guitars shiny, but it’s the bass lines and straightforward lyrics that really grab your synapses and burn these songs into them.
“Change” is an appropriate album title, as the formerly solo Mike Boggs adds contributors Gabe Fry (The NRIs) on guitar and Kate Rears Burgman (The Alphabetical Order) on cello and bass. In another change, the mastering process was outsourced to T.W. Walsh, who has worked with David Bazan, Ra Ra Riot, and the original hipster-Jesus, Sufjan Stevens. You’ll finally get “Change” you can believe in when the album is released in January 2012. To tide you over, you can listen to the first single “Better Off Without You” at the band’s website: WeWerePiratesmusic.com.
You can buy the album at http://wewerepirates.bandcamp.com/album/change. For the next week, we are proud to present an exclusive stream of the full album, which you can listen to below:
We Were Pirates – “Change” by STPPmusic
