Pulco “Undersea Adventure” (Folkwit 2006)

Off-kilter folk with a fishy theme

Pulco is the current recording project of ex-Derrero singer and guitarist Ash Cooke, who has set himself the challenge of home recording a concept album about the sea. The result are a little mixed – opener “Haul Away” sounds a bit like a lacklustre Graham Coxon and doesn’t reach out to grab you, but there are definite rewards later on. “Kid Kipling”, “Paddle People” and “Whistle for a Breaze” are clear, enchanting and very tuneful, with Cooke employing great harmonies and an interesting range of instruments (tin whistles and ukuleles among them). The lush and jaunty “Love of the Ocean” could have been performed by a pared down version of The Thrills. The subject matter is also often interesting, from the sinking of the Kursk to a sailor delivering news of a lost comrade (standout track “Mrs Haines). The album is less appealing when things get a little too wilfully kooky – a spoken word analysis of the history of the sardine, or a discourse on middle ear discomfort, anyone?

Date review added:  Thursday, March 30, 2006
Reviewer:  Jenny Alder
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Related web link:  More information here