the fourth release from stolen recordings (after their fantastic label compilation) comes in the form of this second mini cd from pete and the pirates. each song on this ep has one thing in common: it can't decide whether it should be brash or lush, which gives most-excellent dynamics. ep opener 'come on feet' continually swaps between bright, clean guitars and the almost faltering english, shins' esque vocals to fuzzy guitars, fuzzy thumping drums and jaunty guitar riffs whilst 'she doesn't belong' would fit neatly on the velvet underground and nico or the clap your hands say yeah album. pete and the pirates have come up trumps again. as with all stolen recordings it comes in a lovingly hand made and stamped package.

rough trade

far too good to pick an individual song from, this seven tracker from reading's sweetest chaps marks them down as kindred spirits of fire engines and british sea power. it's all raucous jangling and off key harmonies, with enough heart to power london's air conditioning units for a week. the dummer's just had his appendix out, apparently. get well soon, we say

chris parkin - time out

'....From the spunky 2005 debut 'get even' to the recent EP 'Wait Stop Begin' with stand out numbers including the heavy bare bone rhythms of come on feet and the whimsical romance of think twice. On record and on stage, they're a tuneful mishmash of guitar pop, folk and punk.The pirates hooks include call-and-response harmonies, unpredictable shifting tempos and playful puns.'

the metro

PURE GROOVE'S ALBUM OF THE WEEK (6th aug) Album of the week comes in the shape of Pete and the Pirates beautifully packaged second album Wait Stop and Begin. Shiver me timbers! This is more original pirate material and one of the finest releases of the summer. They're proving to be one of the UK's unsung heroes and we love em to bits.

-pure groove

'....Short, odd and full of winsome little gems, like the appropriatley named 'she does'nt belong. If the pirates eccentricity gets them in trouble, brings about obstacles and means that they aren't noticed by as many people as they might be, then so be it. Those in the know will be able to appreciate them anyway.'

-Richard Davis, ARTROCKER

Theres plenty of scuzzy, skewed rhythms, layered harmonies and intriguing stop/start tunes that suggest nods of recognition are probably due to both the West and East Coasts of the States and a good few points in between. Wherever, its a joyous romp of fuzzy goodness that seems to straddle splendidly the line between sweet polished melodic intricacy and lo-fi skwonking. Seven tracks, no filler and definitely worth the 8 quid itll cost you.

-soundsxp

'deliciously perky indie, dripping old skool charm....Well worth checking out!'

-norman records

Romantic, chivalrous, quixotic and humorous, Pete and the Pirates are the type of band that can be an antidote to any kind of adversity. With a little of the quaint English charm of the Mystery Jets and a subtle sprinkling of the lascivious indie soul of Hefner, they have the kind of arch and informed strut to satiate the desires of the most ardent indie outsiders. First noticed a few months back on a stunning compilation LP from Londons Stolen Recordings, on which one of the Pirates dual singers, Tom Sanders, moonlighted acoustically under the name Tap Tap), their track had a lo-fi magic that could have been the pot of gold at the bottom of any number of wilfully skilled acoustic dreamers rainbow. Yet this mini album takes the lo-fi dream and splays it in a million shards. Come on feeeeeeet / One, two threeeeeeee! Sanders announces in the first line of the opening track, before taking us on a rakish ride of humbly triumphant indie surrealism and folk ingenuity. One, two, three and the clock strikes three / We aint got time and we aint got free / 6.15 and were cooking tea - onion garlic sesame is quaint indie anglocism to its core, the track its taken from a typical example of the bands personal kind of innovation, building to an epic lyrical riposte that blazes to the stars on sublime guitar refrains. All seven tracks here are similarly terrific in the best traditions of artfully shambolic indie, the stand-out She Doesnt Belong particularly sparkling with a humble romanticism, and the effect of sustained, lyrically-inspired emotional involvement wont be purveyed better anywhere outside the world of Darren Hayman. Some fete for a debut release. With the vocalists dual captaincy pointing the way for an outlandish deck of indie drop-outs, it wont be long before your ship, too, is suitably plundered.

-Neil Jones, OMHmusic

You sit next to a girl on your first day in a new department at work. You smile with each other and talk every now and then. She seems nice but you spend most of your time texting one of your proper friends. You sit next to her every day for the following week, you talk here and there, although you don't sit with her on lunch. Then, on the Wednesday of the next week you happen to be on the same training course. You get chatting properly, for the whole day. Suddenly, she's your new best friend and you're texting her all the time. You didn't notice it before, she seemed a bit plain, but she's really pretty and has these shimmering green eyes. Plus you really like what she does with her hair. And she's really funny too, oh gosh, you've been in stitches. But she's funny in a subtle way, you could easily miss it if you didn't know her. You're glad you do now though. Pete And The Pirates don't write songs that'll knock on your door, drag you outside and give you a good kicking until you give them all your money. Give them a chance though, really sit down with them and they soar above other 'nice little indie bands'. Their melodies are more delicately affecting, their songs are more intricately penned. Their whole aura is just more inviting. Not immediately, maybe, for some maybe not at all but if you're lucky enough to catch them in just the right light you'll be sold forever.

-Aidienn Ellison- MAPS

I've got a friend who claims that, for one whole year of his life, the only record he listened to was The Lemonheads' It's a Shame About Ray. So while everyone else was going round in a perpetual state of Radiohead induced gloom he was as loved up as Allen Ginsberg.

I can't promise that Wait Stop Begin is the only album I'll listen to till next June, but it's mixture of upbeat, vaguely hippy-ish guitar pop and intelligent alt-rock has got me kicking back and smiling warmly. Which is always a good sign. Do you know that from my office on the 6th floor I can see most of London including St Pauls Cathedral from one window and the BT Tower from another?

Anyhow. Despite the odd prosaic moment Pete and the Pirates have come up trumps here. Their use of three-way harmonies and the engaging production of tracks like Disco and the interestingly titled Come On Feet raises Wait Stop Begin well above the work of more derivative guitar bands. The wry (but never smug) lyrics help too.
Tracks like Something and the aforementioned Disco are well worth a dance to. And Think Twice - an unconventional, though pleasing love song - rattles along nicely. This Thyme is an extended piece of silliness playing on the fact that 'thyme' and 'time' are homonyms ("Six-fifteen and we're cooking tea, onion, garlic, sesame.") It's the sort of joke my Dad would make. The music though is quite beautiful. Step Back has a tub-thumping beat worthy of some real pirates. The irresistible Magic Numbers-esque melody might not go down so well of the Barbary Coast though. Avast.

She Doesn't Belong would fit on The Velvet Underground and Nico. Seroiusly. It is outstanding. Step Back is the track that I've been playing over and over though. It's an absolutely exquisite piece of song writing. I will say no more.

RP : lobster quadrille magazine

Our super-cool friends over at Stolen Recordings in the UK sent over a copy of the upcoming Pete and the Pirates EP, Wait Stop Begin. Lovely, lovely handmadepackaging on this one (as ever), and some damn fine music on the disc to boot! For those unfamiliar, I'll pirate Artrocker's P & the P's description: "There are folk bits, Byrdsy harmony bits, kraut-rock frug-outs, punk blasts of power, and superb pop moments all segued and strewn together carelessly but precisely."

the catbirdseat

Warning: This review may contain at least two ill-manifested references /
comparisons to plunder on the high seas, popular music, ears, and
whatnot. Wait Stop Begin is the second EP release by Pete and the Pirates;
a favourite from London's just-as-favourable Stolen Recordings label. This
is Pete and the Pirates third appearance on a Stolen Recordings release;
previously on the recent Stolen compilation, and Stolen also released their
first EP, Get Even.

Each song on this EP has one thing in common: it can't decide whether it
should be brash or lush, which gives most-excellent dynamics. EP opener
'Come on Feet' continually swaps between bright, clean guitars and the
almost faltering English, Shins'esque vocals to fuzzy guitars, fuzzy thumping
drums and jaunty guitar riffs- the fractured and melodic indeed, and there's a
healthy dose of pop here too.

'Something' is a little less disjointed, with more clean angular melodies
permeating throughout. As calm as it is, 'Something' somehow feels like it's
ready to burst; and, eventually, it does. Following 'Something' is perhaps the
strongest track of the EP, 'This Thyme'. Beginning with the best intro and
verse on the EP, the sharp melodic guitar meets the pounding bass and
drum-machine-like rhythm, coupled with those particular vocals to create
something that is very simply, rather special; imagine Interpol writing a folk
song. All these pieces joyously culminate and politely explode into the
fist-to-the-air, lo-fi chorus.

The overall sound of this EP is as close to lo-fi as it's possible to get; a kind of
live anti-production production. Imagine Pete and the Pirates nonchalantly
playing in your bathroom; it's got that lo-fi intimacy, whilst each instrument,
each lyric, each melody, each faltering yelp can be heard underneath and on
top of everything else, gracefully interweaved.

This intimacy doesn't end with the recording. As like every Stolen Recordings
release, the EP itself comes in a meticulously handmade packet and sleeve that
you'd be hard pressed to find done as well with such a personal touch by any
other label. It's another of those things that is seemingly neglected nowadays,
what with the iTunes music store, etc.

After 'This Thyme' we find the EP brings it's pace down a notch, though just a
little. 'Step Back' finds a more laid back PatPs, but still retains the schizophrenic
dynamics and unpredictability --though somewhat subdued-- complimented by
more layers of sugar-coated melody and engaging harmony. It's a similar case
with 'She Doesn't Belong', which contains one of my favourite lyrics from the
EP: "It's so cold this morning my breath comes out like steam / I got up in such a
hurry I'm still stuck inside my dream / so I hide behind sunglasses, it's
not as bad as it seems." I'm sure we can all relate to that, hmm?

Following the brief lull, 'Disco' and final song 'Think Twice' recommence the
confusion between brash and lush; seemingly a signature characteristic of Pete
and the Pirates. As you might have guessed, 'Disco' holds within an intermittent
disco beat, and shows a slightly more melodic meets atonal thrashy side to the
band instead of alternating between the both, whilst 'Think Twice' fools you into
thinking it's going to be a pretty, slow, love related song. Oh no, the dynamics
are here, and probably the most poignant example of what Pete and the Pirates
have a knack for. The very end of 'Think Twice' actually mixes the brash and the
lush to conclude the EP, taking the beautiful, twinkly guitar riff and
combining it with an aptly placed fuzzy guitar. It almost feels like the EP has found
where it was supposed to be all along... besides in your record collection,
that is.

Tom Matthews - dont worry about the govenment magazine