The Wooden Shjips Thread

So Wooden Shjips are to psych-rock what The Strokes are to NY post-punk?

That was rather facetious. But I feel they are simply a bland retread of something I hold dear.

early stuff (volume 1): loop/spacemen 3 fuzz dronin

album: rallizes (basic channel reshape)

can't wait to hear the new one.

its good. lies somewhere in between those ^^

I'm not liking the new one that much. I only liketwo of the five..."Motorbike" and "Down by the Sea" are pretty good, and the rest are forgettable. I might have to comeback to this later, but for now -- meh

the new one is more like the singles ("loop/spacemen 3 fuzz dronin") with the suicide american-anglo motorik amped up. "motorbike" could be "ghost rider 2009"

yeah i think its better than the 1st album.

i don't. it's good, but the kind of dryness of it is a little too much. it'll probably grow on me, but i was really hoping for a whole album like the b-side of the 7". god i love that track.

Sounds good to me so far. Looking forward to hearing this!

it's good, but the kind of dryness of it is a little too much.

yeah the production on this seems to be restraining their signature sound

the "e-z" version of "i hear the vibrations" on the b-side of the contact 12"... WOW. the build of the droning organ and guitar is beautiful. i need to find a good rip of the original.

Wow. Dos sucks. I mean, that could be a little harsh...

yeah? i like it well enough ... I think these guys are good -- maybe not as great as Aquarius Records would have you believe, but I do love the guitar playing.

I guess because there doesn't seem to be any evolution? Could just as well be demo from before their first record? It doesn't "suck" but man oh man it doesn't "rule." I wanted it to.

I like it.

Well dos endorsements! I'll spin the motherfucker again I guess.

Let me ask you two...are you guys...ya know...doing anything "special" before ya listen to it?

no

Oh. Because that I could see.

well, im eating an ice-lolly.

but nothing special about it.

Wouldn't say it sucks at all, slightly disappointing but the second listen sucked me in more than the first. The final track is by far my favorite though.

its good. its exactly the same as their other stuff.

I think after being initially disappointed by the 1st album after the previous releases, I just realised they wouldnt make anything earth shattering but would make some enjoyable music.

the "evolution" comment is funny though - like, its okay for some bands not to evolve (AC/DC, ZZ Top, the Ramones, Motorhead, etc.) but on the other hand bands are routinely faulted for "evolving" too much (perennial "I like their old stuff better" complaints etc.) As if there's an ideal narrative arc bands should stick to in their careers, and if they deviate too far from it then they suck.

Well, yeah dude. They're Shjips. They're going somewhere...

*boom-tish*

I still haven't revisited this album yet.

they could prove me wrong, but they don't seem to be the kinda band that would "evolve" -- the whole point is single-mindedness right? only big shakeup i could see is maybe upgrading to a more pro studio sound. but that might ruin it, make it sound like Black Rebel Motorwhatever or something. As for the other question, I've drunk some beer while listening.

Yeah I mean I wasn't expecting a major shift in sound or anything...
I don't really know what I was expecting.

the wire had a pretty brutal review of dos that essentially called them out for being low-effort and unoriginal. that would not really bother me normally but for this band it did give me pause.

oh I think a lot of effort goes into this. "single-mindedness" absolutely. I don't really have any use for "originality" esp considering the stuff they're ripping off is pretty great

yeah, lack of effort is a weird criticism ... even though a lot of their tunes are one chord, they actually seem kinda hard to play. I don't think i could do it.

people always seem to underestimate how hard it is to play really simple, repetitive music. that shit is tiring!

speaking of which (sorta) are they looping the drums in some of these songs? or is the drummer just doing it? if it's the latter, dude is a machine.

i'd love to find a drummer who was happy doing that dumbass rock solid beat all the live long day

^^^me too

yeah i appreciate those points but i guess the fact that they arrived pretty much fully formed sort of makes me wonder, i'm not even sure about what but the particular criticism for the particular band just kind of struck a chord w/me.

look like they're pretty rad live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3pMS6dZi70

wish the record i had sounded that good.

shit, would someone really pay $100 for this single
http://www.discogs.com/sell/list?release_id=1278552&ev=rb

i hope not
whole primavera set is up at the free music archive: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Wooden_Shjips/Live_at_Primavera_Sound_Festival_2009_on_WFMU/

look like they're pretty rad live
― tylerw, Wednesday, 8 July 2009 20:46 (1 month ago)

Wooden Shjips are playing here tonight, and that vid has persuaded me to give them a go. I'm not entirely convinced by their recorded output, but I can imagine they'll rock live.

they have a song on the Yeti 7 comp, haven't listened to it yet. Outtake from "Dos," apparently.

ah, thx for reminding me i need to order that Yeti ... would love it if they played my neck of the woods -- that Primavera set I linked to above is pretty sweet, and a bit different from the studio records. Any other live recordings of them floating around? I have the one from ATP last year ...

Worth seeing live. Loved them at Terrastock last year, but they're the perfect band for that sort of thing - unfurl the freak flag a bit and wander around.

they have a song on the Yeti 7 comp, haven't listened to it yet. Outtake from "Dos," apparently.

― Trip Maker, Monday, August 10, 2009 12:15 PM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

also on Yeti 7 is a track by Moon Duo, shjips dude's solo project. there's a moon duo 12" out on sick thirst.

what is moon duo like?

I've got the Moon Duo 12" actually. Didn't notice they had a track on the comp! Moon Duo is just like Wooden Shjips, essentially. Minimal riff jams, one per side. It's pretty cool but not essential.

sounds more like the earlier stuff than the albums to me, but not as good. the little blurb at the store where i bought mine mentioned drum machines or electronics, which made me excited, but it doesn't really deliver on that.
i like listening to it at 33 for extra lenghty jamminess.