Product Description

Wooden Shjips, a quartet from San Francisco heavily influenced by the experimentalism of psychedelia, classical minimalism, and garage rock excess, started as an experiment in rhythmic primitivism and group improvisation. The current roster brings a more structured rock approach to its performances, utilizing a traditional lineup of drums (Omar Ahsanuddin), bass (Dusty Jermier), organ (Nash Whalen), guitar (Erik Ripley Johnson), and vocals. First 2000 copies of the CD include a bonus disc with their early vinyl output and an unedited version of Dance, California

Track Listing

1. We Ask You to Ride
2. Losin' Time
3. Lucy's Ride
4. Blue Sky Bends
5. Shine Like Suns

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #60636 in Music
• Released on: 2007-09-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds

Review
Wooden Shjips are from San Francisco, but the concentrated ferocity of the freakouts on their two very-underground releases a white-label ten-inch EP (the band gave away the first 300 copies) and a clear-vinyl single ( Dance, California ) arrives via the 70s Germanic-guitar lunacy of Guru Guru and the confrontational repetition of Velvet Underground. --David Fricke, Rolling Stone

Customer Reviews

A sonic lava lamp
If you like a Doorsy vocal, steadily repetitive neo-psychedelic mid-tempo sound, this album, all of half an hour, should prove a low-intensity pleasure. While I don't favor Jim Morrison in the original, I don't mind the singing style of the lead singer. He's able to insinuate himself into the guitar-drums-bass-keyboard swirl. If you like tunes that blur into one another as mood music, ones that go in and out of focus as you give yourself over to their single-minded approach, this will bore into you, subtly but steadily.

There's nothing self-aggrandizing about the sonic innovations here. This isn't meant as a criticism. Don't expect any grandstanding on the gloomy, brooding, melancholy restlessness that this S.F.-meets-Brooklyn band delivers. They like this monochromatic texture, which slowly shifts as if somber clouds drifting over a greying, darkening sky.

The group's other record, a compilation of early singles originally released in a limited edition with this self-titled one but now as Volume 1 (also reviewed by me) has appeared separately, shows a more Spaceman-3, staticky and Krautrock-inspired drone. By comparison, there's a tighter, if more slow-burning, approach on this eponymous CD, apparently their later work. This shows increasing movement towards music that's akin in its doomsday threats and understated tension to the Austin, Texas, ensemble The Black Angels.

this is awesome !
this is a awesome, terrific psychedelic stoner rock in the best Blue Cheer/Mammatus/ early Comets on Fire tradition. I exepect a collaboration with Six Organs of Admittance's Ben chasny or a jam with Magic Markers' elisa Ambrogio. never drugged inspired rock sounded so good lately.Get this record as soon as the bonus cd is included!