The Wooden Shjips Thread

Haven't heard the full length yet but looking forward to it. The latest 7" rocks though...

I can kinda dig the Doors vibe sometimes, but I like the more manic early records than the album. I would like to see this band live.

Also, I think someone said this before but there was kind of a new zealand xpressway vibe on the 10" that I really liked.

wait I thought they just had the s/t "debut" - what are these "early records" you refer to

they put out a 10" and a 7" that got some people excited. they included a second cd with these recordings with a limited number of the full length cds, I believe.

there's a second 7" too

the food not bombs one? I haven't heard it.

blood in the streets it's up to my ankles

The Dance California 7" is worth checking out. "Clouds Over Earthquake" is the one song I've heard by them that I'll still be listening to in ten years.

saw them on sat. nite for the 1st time...

didn't hear any doors thing (other than the obv. lineup) def. got more of a krauty stooges "sister ray/european son" type vibe going on...

they were pretty solid and tight. drummer was pretty intense on the bass drum, probably ex-metal head.

Great band. Loved the early releases but could never get my hands on them so the 2cd I ordered from AQ will do nicely.

The 10" hit the spot. It's kinda how I imagined Endless Boogie to sound.

I imagined Endless Boogie sounding like Status Quo.

Endless Boogie sound like Trad Gras & Canned Heat supersession.

Endless Boogie are WAAAAY better, and I think Wooden Shjips rule mightily

I'm pissed that I missed these guys at the Fuck Yeah fest.

I don't think I've ever heard such a straight-faced Spacemen 3 ripoff band in my life.

This is not necessarily a bad thing.

^^^That was my reaction when I first heard Wooden Shjips. That's not all they've got going on, though.

granted I'm going on the half dozen songs I've listened to so far

they don't have many more!

^^^That was my reaction when I first heard Wooden Shjips. That's not all they've got going on, though.

Yeah, they also rip-off Loop. But again, that ain't a bad thing at all.

I'm unfamiliar with Loop... I think what really put the Spacemen 3 connection over the top was the fact that this guy sounds JUST LIKE Pete Kember with his lazy vocal timbre, and uses basically the same vocal-reverb effects setup.

I listened to the album all the way trough for the first time this morning. It's boring.

I like it alright but the bonus disc is MUCH better

It's like a more irie Spacemen 3. I like both of these discs.
I'm a big pothead, too.

Bonus disc is better, agreed.

I think they need a new bass player actually. The Can-style 2 note grooves are good but dude has all kinds of rhythm problems and could stand to be a tad more adventerous...

But overall, I dig the album. The length is good too.

I don't think I've ever heard such a straight-faced Spacemen 3 ripoff band in my life.

Ever heard the Colorsound album You're Only As Good As Your Sound? released on Sub Pop subsidiary Summershine, it is a total S3 ripoff and is great to boot.

I want to like this band more than I do. There is just something lacking. I think it might be the bass player as mentioned above. I like the last few tracks on their full length better than the first few.

yeah, so, is there any way to tell the difference between the single and double cd versions of the holy mountain release? i'm more in it for the bonus cd than the album itself.

I'm not sure in stores. I ordered mine from Amazon before I knew about the bonus CD. I checked it only said "1 disc", but it came with the second disc anyway. The second disc comes in a separate cardboard sleeve, if that helps at all.

they are playing in brooklyn on 10/19, I think I will check them out.

The second disc comes in a separate cardboard sleeve, if that helps at all.

that does help, cheers.

didn't hear any doors thing (other than the obv. lineup) def. got more of a krauty stooges "sister ray/european son" type vibe going on...
this is true, but i thought the drummer was the weak link. the songs are very driving and a bit more propulsion from the kit would put them over the edge. pretty fun show.

WTB a new rhythm section for Wooden Shjips!

Yeah I saw them in Oakland a couple weeks ago and their live show is so much better than this new record. I also prefer the second disc of older material to the overly produced stuff.

there's no fucking doors in the album at all. you know what there's a shitload of? rallizes. seriously, listen to the vocals, especially the effects and the kind of clipped and tuneless muttering, and listen to the way the songs kind of plod along until suddenly a big fuzzy guitar bit comes in. the production's obviously cleaner, but it's total apeage/homage. could almost be a different band to the bonus disc stuff (which i found, yay).

do i need this album? or can i live without it. record store still has the 2 disc cd version.

need, probably not. but i got a used copy w/bonus disc and i like it enough. in fact, i liked the bonus disc much more (shakey mo and trip maker are pretty right-on about the songs on that) than the album, but the album's definitely growing on me. i don't know, do you need american rallizes?

i was gonna revive this thread by saying Wooden Shjips vs High Tide

the first track, "We Ask You to Ride" is the only one where i really hear the Doors. dude totally sounds like jim and that organ. rest of it, not so much.

We Ask You To Ride

haha! i was just listening to that video and wifee asked me if it was the Doors. unprompted!

and just for fun, a live version of Wooden Ships by CSN&Y
http://youtube.com/watch?v=a0P_cviczko

there's no fucking doors in the album at all

That's patently untrue. I'm still debating it: I kinda like it anyway, despite hating the Doors. Jaxon's right, though, it is pretty much concentrated in the first track.

"patently untrue" my ass. NO DOORS! organ /= equal doors!

Wooden Shjips vs High Tide

high tide by a country mile.

it's not just the organ, dude. that voice on the first song is totally jim. and the reason i compared high tide is because that dude sounds like morrison too.

Psych bands inspired by The Doors >>>> The Doors

This has always been true.

uuu_uuu

the alb totally reminded me of the doors too, fwiw

hey, you know what? the s/t is really good for late night driving. especially track 3. suddenly the weirdly skeletal production makes sense (i can't think of a 'psych' band with 4 members who sound more minimal than these dudes) and the organ really comes to the fore. it's almost neu!-like, but not really sounding like them at all.

7" on sub pop also real good. i think the b is my favorite shjips jam.

I don't really think the LP held up to repeated listenings.. I got a promo copy of the CD, listened to it a few times driving to and from Rhode Island, realized I didn't need to buy the LP.

You're OTM re the Rallizes sound though

Feel like this band is everything I hate about psych rock, just like long boring songs with no energy and standard psych guitar solos.

so what do you like about psych rock

very possible i just like long boring songs with no energy and standard psych guitar solos.
i dunno, i get what you mean, but for whatever reason i always enjoy wooden shjips

is this west coast tour any good?

thinking about seeing them saturday night but was not impressed with "west" and have not heard "back to land"

bump

i meant to respond to this before but i forgot
the show i saw was merely ok. as i mentioned, the opening bands were hard to follow, and the shjips formula sounded overly evident by the time they went on, but that might not be their fault. i did start to get the suspicion that their new album was overhyped by people who don't listen to a lot of music like this (so it sounded more interesting to them than it did to me).

not a bad time, but not mind blowing by any stretch.

i did start to get the suspicion that their new album was overhyped by people who don't listen to a lot of music like this (so it sounded more interesting to them than it did to me).

It's enjoyable, but I think this suspicion is spot on. 'Back to Land' seems to be the one that has broken through to some critics who believe they've stumbled upon something great and obscure, and thus are pumping it up as better than their earlier stuff, i.e. "Wooden Shjips have finally put it all together," so they don't appear late to the game.

they've jumped the shark after vol. 2 huh

Nah west and dos are great. But at this point I think I prefer moon duo.

^ otm

I thought vol 2 came out after dos

tbh not crazy about west

Everything I've heard by these guys was perfectly enjoyable but sounded pretty much the same. I saw them open on the Pavement reunion tour and everyone in the crowd hated them, so I made a point of cheering as loud as I could - probably the moment I felt most positively disposed to WS.

they've jumped the shark after vol. 2 huh

― the late great, Saturday, 25 January 2014

this is my assessment, with the caveat that I think a lot of the creative energy has gone into Moon Duo

Back to Land sounded really formulaic to me; there was only one,song that stood out to me and I don't remember the name of it rn

West was not that much better but at least the two best songs were first and thereby easy to find

I prolley need to hear early WS tho fer sure. Loved their Snapper cover

Moon Duo is cool but uneven too; Circles was p great but I thought Mazes was drastically overrated. Probably my favorite thing Ripley has done was MD's Escape EP

this new one is stellar- dreamy and floaty, a mode i haven't picked up on in them prior. will sound good on a hot afternoon in the backyard

this is still my favorite work of theirs- i don't have a ton of use for their middle period, it seems

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1YoLJajtAE

I find them a bit hit & miss, but the new one sounds good. Hopefully they'll come out on tour

new great ‘rural psych’ record, S/T ‘Rose City Band’. not much info about them otherwise. is this the shjips pretending to be a different band?

hmmmm

Produced and recorded by Ripley Johnson

this actually calls it a side project fwiw

https://www.reddit.com/r/psychedelicrock/comments/bsnmat/rose_city_band_wandering_feeling_new_side_project/

definitely ripley singing / playing guitar, not sure who else is in the band ...

Nice! Reminds me of Natural Child and their "Okey Dokey" LP

is the pronunciation shyps or ships?

I love this Rose City Band album. It really is a perfect summer record, so warm. I haven't paid much attention to the Wooden Shjips universe, but this made me go back to some of their stuff and also to Moon Duo. I like his whole vibe.

Another Rose City Band album coming in May, Earth Trip. You can pre-order it from Trill Jockey and get some rolling papers with it, on brand.

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1390957203_10.jpg

another one! he's really churning these out ... which is good! i always put on this guy's records and think "eh, this is kinda boring" and then about two minutes in I think "hey this is great!"

haha yes

this new one is great, maybe the spaciest/ mellowest yet

ooh that sounds good, stuff like 'I Hear The Vibrations (E-Z Version)' is my fave - is that a good reference point?

no not really. it’s much more acoustic sounding with beautiful pedal steel. none of the motorik groove/ driving bass lines like on Vibrations.

SHRINKING MOON FOR YOU

^^ this

― Calling All Creeps! (contenderizer), Tuesday, January 6, 2009 5:03 PM (thirteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

hilarious to me that this doors worship band is named after a song by a guy who famously hated jim morrison and his music

The Doors comparisons didn't make sense to me in 2007 and they still don't in 2023, tbh.

haha yeah — he occasionally has sort of subtly morrison-esque croon but I wouldn't call 'em a Doors worship band.
New one is pretty killer, all the players are really good, Barry Walker especially.

Assume you are talking about his new Rose City Band album, otherwise I missed some news!

oh haha, yes the new Rose City! no new Wooden Shjips record as far as I know.

Huge fan of all things Ripley Johnson and have loved everyhting RCB since the self-titled! tylerw, care to share how this new one compares to the 1st three? more of the same country 'choogle'? cosmic americana? more psych-y perhaps? Barry Walker on the lap steel is always a great thing! Any sneak peek/intel would be greatly appreciated!

i was such a huge Shjips and Moon Duo fan, but i can't get into RCB at all ... and i live close to the RC and i've tried ... just won't take.

I've liked all the Rose City Band stuff but I think the new one is my favorite — I've seen some reviews that don't love its increased space noodle factor, but I love that! The last three tracks in particular are just kind of a long gorgeous reverie. No particular place to go and no hurry to get there.

This is exactly what I needed this morning without knowing I needed it. Very JJ Cale.

Yeah I already held RCB in high regard, but the new one takes it to a whole new level. I've gotten so much mileage out of it.

I really love the first three records, but had kinda decided to sit the latest one out, just because I felt I had enough of them, there's other music to buy etc.
But then last night, two beers in, I read tipsy's post, listened to about half of Mariposa, and immediately ordered the record.

this is really scratching my "what else sounds like Relatively Clean Rivers" itch, thanks thread

New one is my favorite too.

A lot of it reminds me of Beachwood Sparks’ The Tarnished Gold—a really terrific and overlooked album. RCB is a lot noodlier but there is still a shared vibe

i can't really hang with this RCB record. it just sounds like easy listening music? i'm not saying that's bad, it's just not for me i guess.

Was pleasantly surprised to hear These Shadows in Episode 8 of The Diplomat on Netflix. Pink Floyd's The Great Gig in the Sky as well.

it just sounds like easy listening music?

no man, it's cosmic :)

It's easy to listen to, but in a good way imo. Definitely a vibe, so if you don't vibe with it, c'est ca.

hilarious to me that this doors worship band is named after a song by a guy who famously hated jim morrison and his music

― budo jeru, Thursday, March 30, 2023 6:47 PM (two months ago)

The Doors comparisons didn't make sense to me in 2007 and they still don't in 2023, tbh.

― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, March 31, 2023 8:49 AM (two months ago)

the last time i saw them (2006 or 2007) they opened for 水晶の舟 whose name translates to "The Crystal Ship".