The grammatically challenged Love We Are We Love is the debut album by male-female duo Chuck E.Costa and Mira Stanley who, when not on the road, divide their time between New York and West Virginia.
They take their name from an ancient Greek tale described in Xenophon's Anabasis. 'The Sea The Sea' was the cry of joy and relief by battle weary soldiers when they sighted the Black Sea after trudging through the mountains. Presumably if they'd been sailors it would have been 'Land Ahoy!'
The struggles Chuck and Mira sing about are of a more domestic nature although the lure of the ocean, metaphorical and actual, is never far from their thoughts.
Aside from the nautical themes of Boat Song and Watertreader, they are "waiting for the tide" on Waiting and "wading waves" on Fists Full Of Flowers.
Chuck says their tunes are about making plans and considering possibilities. "All the songs take place immediately before, in the midst of, or after a decisive plunge into the unknown", he explains.
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Finding self belief and summoning up courage to take these plunges are recurring themes underpinned by the consoling thought that tomorrow is another day.
The relatively simple backing of electric and acoustic guitars plus rudimentary percussion means that their impressive vocal harmonies come to the fore.
It's a bit hokey in places but their hearts are in the right place and they make a good case for the notion that love, hope and vitality are what make the world go around.
The Sea The Sea's website
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