The Dreadnoughts – Polka’s Not Dead

The removal of polka as a category from the Grammy Awards in 2009 marked the spiritual death of a genre.  In essence the cultural authorities that be cut the once proud Central European staple down to an obscure cultural artifact.  Once a dynamic and lively celebration of life and community, outsiders would now view polka as a stagnant relic.

Even with the polka community in outrage, few challenged the cultural proclamation.  That is until Vancouver shanty punks The Dreadnoughts entered the studio for their third full length.  The result, Polka’s Not Dead; hands down the band’s most ambitious title to date, and a smug little flip of the bird to the genre’s naysayers and skeptics.

But it’s also so much more.

As someone following The Dreadnoughts since their infancy who has touted the group as the most exciting band to come out of Vancouver in the past decade, I still can’t get over just how much growth the band goes through annually.  The Dreadnoughts have always loved a good jig, but who could have pegged the dockside ramblers to make one of the year’s best polka-fueled frenzy?  Over the course of three years the hometown heroes have gone from complete unknowns, to having one of the most rabid global cult followings around. Polka’s Not Dead is the fruit of their travels, showcasing a band developing a novelty appeal free of gimmicks and clichés.

The album opens on a familiar, and decidedly non-polka related note, with the alcohol drenched call of “Cider Road.”  The cider-trumpeting tune appeared previous on the Cyder Punks Unite EP, but that hardly keeps the sing along jig from being the rip-roaring anthem it is.  One track later The Dreadnoughts really dig their heels in and break out the accordion during the album’s near-title track.  As with any good defense, “Polka Never Dies” is always on the attack, coming across with a smile and celebration.  Lead vocalist “Uncle Touchy” shouts jovially “polka never dies!” amidst a chorus of misfits justifying past Gogol Bordello comparisons.  Seamus has pumped his bellow before, but never with such life.  The instrument that once brought to mind pirates and dockside scuffles now forms the soundtrack to raucous Eastern European gatherings.

Now, The Dreadnoughts are no strangers to polkas – Victory Square featured an instrumental track smack in the middle – but nothing has ever come out quite this well envisioned.  While stand-alone polkas felt out of place at best, Polka’s Not Dead boasts three inclusions, only this time feeling like an extension of the album, rather than simple intermissions.   For example, the punky polka classic “Gobblin Homppa” extends the instrumental into the French Canadian cuisine piece, “Poutine” through The Dread Pirate Druzil’s plucky mandolin and Squid Vicious’ undulating bass.  “Cladvina’s Waltz” and “Za Smierc Przyjaceila” surface later on, each focusing on separate strengths.  The former serves as Seamus’ fiddle showcase, while the later winds down the outing like a somber movie credit finale.

Rounding out the polka madness, The Dreadnoughts throw in some of their biggest and most ambitious bar anthems.  Once again outgrowing comparisons with genre heavyweights The Dropkick Murphys and The Real McKenzies, tracks like the lifestyle piece “West Country Man” and historical London street descriptor “Gentlemen’s Club” make for a rich celebration of alternative lifestyles.  On those lines, their cover of “Turbo Island” captures the notorious Stokes Croft, Bristol district’s three hundred year history of alcoholism and excess in a way that only The Dreadnoughts could.  And let’s not forget the high seas adventure “Black Sea Gale,” a track continuing the band’s sea shanty traditions, drawing upon the same rustic dockside mentality that made their initial debut, Legends Never Die, so memorable.

Overall, Polka’s Not Dead is a fine addition – not to mention high point – to the band’s steadily growing discography.  Three albums in three years is a feat for any, but to do so without evidence of burn out and with such a commitment to personal growth makes The Dreadnoughts an undeniable force to be reckoned with, and unquestionable front runners amongst their peers.

So even with that now defunct Grammy forever out of grasp, I think it’s safe to say that as long as The Dreadnoughts are at the helm, polka couldn’t be more alive.