Thee Pirates

Item: Nasty Brutish and Short
Author: Earl Campbell

Nasty Brutish and Short

(2000)

Reviewed by Earl Campbell

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Label Declaration RecordsBandoppler2000

hardcore punk punk

Thee Pirates either paid attention in school or skipped a lot of classes. Either way, they learned something in Saskatoon, Canada that made them decide to do punk rock in spite of its untimely and grizzly death. And you know what – they do punk rock. Like, punk rock, not punk rawk. Know what I mean?

"Hey America" starts the 17-song album off with a building, up-tempo rambunctious old metal riff and a shoulder chip, chastising the Empirical, oil worshipping ways of the Red, White, and Blue – "Hey America / It's time to go to war ... You're not the good guy / You're an antichrist / Killing in the name of God / With no respect for human life ... You're not the good guy!"

"Swinging from the Gallows" follows it up with some gritty rockabilly gruff, and then bleeds into the short, pounding "Slaves" – which more than anything serves to introduce the magnificently snotty "Building Better Bombs." "Bourgeoisie You Make Me Puke" is a two-minute song squished into 45 seconds, and brings back visions of the Germs. The Clash is paid tribute with a loose cover of "Bank Robber," as is Social Distortion in "Making Believe."

Thee Pirates add credence to the theory that punk rock never actually died, it just dodged the major label draft and went to Canada. For raw, wonderfully amateurish, and completely believable underworld ditties, as well as thoughtful, informed, and passionate messages, you can't do much better than Thee Pirates nowadays (they are probably in good company with Boy Sets Fire, Blenderhead, The Explosion, and Ninety Pound Wuss).