Older Wooden Shjips (i.e., by “old” I mean songs like ‘We ask you to ride’ from 2007) gives me the feeling of listening to a modern day psychedelic Doors clone. Their sound is always appealing, raw, and rocking. With their experimental sound taking some songs over 10 minutes, it is not necessarily for the short attention span. Their repetitive groove makes excellent traveling music or music to put on and do some work.

Their recent album Dos was released last month, with 5 songs totaling over 38 minutes. It offers a lot of the same style that their fans require with just a bit more volume and a harder push for rock. The rippin’ guitar of Ripley Johnson on the 11 minute “Down By The Sea” brings me back to some Mermen I used to listen to in the mid-nineties. Repetitive, creative, musical. Overall I think Dos is pretty good, however I do feel the stuff off of their 2007 self-titled release is still the best (check out ‘We ask you to ride’ below).

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MP3: Wooden Shjips :: “Motorbike”

** Off of “Wooden Shjips” self-titled album **

MP3: Wooden Shjips :: “We Ask You To Ride”

Lots of notable albums out this week, which include a couple of highly anticipated releases from Silversun Pickups and Metric. I’ve listened to the Metric record a few times, and I’m still not sure what to think about it. It still sounds a lot like Live It Out, which I didn’t care for at all.  I look at what Yeah Yeah Yeahs did with It’s Blitz! and that’s more in line with what I would’ve liked Fantasies to be more in tune with.

Other releases include the latest from The Boy Least Likely To, Pomegranates, Papercuts, and Ida Maria.  Also available this week is the self-titled EP from Brooklyn’s Suckers, who’ve been getting a lot of press lately from the likes of Stereogum, FADER, Pitchfork,  etc.

If there’s anything we’ve missed, do let us know.  And don’t forget about Record Store Day this Saturday!

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