MP3 At 3PM: Puerto Muerto

Back when pirates were cool (i.e., neither represented by Johnny Depp nor Somali gunmen), Puerto Muerto was releasing gothic maritime folk albums such as 2003’s Your Bloated Corpse Has Washed Ashore (which is not about Keith Richards). Things since then have only gotten weirder for Puerto Muerto, as the husband-and-wife duo of Tim Kelley and Christa Meyer have charted other courses through country music (2005’s Songs Of Muerto County) and James Joyce’s poetry (via 2008 compilation Chamber Music) with all the dark humor of the Handsome Family and the theatrical flair of fellow Chicagoans the Mekons. In February, Puerto Muerto will release Drumming For Pistols (Fire), a collection of carnivalesque gypsy folk and intoxicated cabaret pop—neither of which is exactly new territory for the duo. We’re looking forward to the first (ever?) song dedicated to Bruno Strozsek, but in the meantime, enjoy the premiere of “Drumming For Pistols.”

“Drumming For Pistols” (download)