Record Label: Patchwork Record Production
Genre: Celtic
Band Link: g-w-f.com
Buy on iTunes

Norway’s The Greenland Whalefishers celebrated their 20th anniversary last year. Each month they would release a song on YouTube and then would delete it and replace it with another one. The result is this album, their 8th studio full-length and first studio full-length in 5 years. The Thirsty Cave is a great example of what Celtic Punk should sound like!

GWF gave fans a bit of a sneak peek earlier in the year with a 3 song EP called Looney Tunes. The EP featured 2 tracks (“20 Years of Waiting” and “Looney Tunes”) on this album so there’s 8 other tracks worth hearing. The album begins with “Tinted,” which seems like a different style tune for GWF to start an album off with. With Arvid’s grungy vocals, and fantastic whistle playing, it makes for a rockin’ good sea shanty tune. It’s slow at the start but picks up steam mid-song. Fast or slow songs, Greenland Whalefishers songs are all good to me! but if you read my other reviews for GWF, you would have known that already since I like to bring it up each review.

The second track “None Of Us Are Faithful” and third track “Nothing To Say” (an instrumental) deliver the fast Celtic style that GWF is known for. “Angel” is another example of the band going in a new direction and I like it. If Tom Waits and Shane MacGowan collaborated on a song, this is how it would probably sound. Maybe a few more groans and garbling but you get the idea.

The second half of the album is the stronger part of the album I think. We already heard “20 Years of Waiting” on the EP before but it’s still one of the better tunes on the new album. I think it’s the best song the band has done in the last 8-10 years. “Ted McKenzie” is a classic GWF slow that makes you want to sway back and forth. Raise your glass, put your arm around your buddy or partner, and just sway and sing along. It reminds me of “The Thirsty Cave” off the brilliant Loboville album, which funny enough is the title of this album.

Besides a couple of tunes, GWF doesn’t reinvent the wheel at all and I’m particularly fine with that. I’m okay with the band willing to explore and try new things out. But when it comes down to it, I want groggy Celtic punk rock with catchy melodies, excellent fiddle and whistle playing, and music that makes me want to dance like an animal. Greenland Whalefishers provides all of that and are the top of the heap when it comes to Celtic punk music. Hey Americans, stop listening to the same Celtic punk bands and give Norway’s Greenland Whalefishers a try!

Bottom Line: 8 albums in and no signs of slowing down!
Notable Tracks: None Of Us Are Faithful, Been Away, 20 Years of Waiting, Ted McKenzie, Queen, Looney Tunes
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