Thrill Jockey and the Wooden Shjips

I’ll tell you what kiddos, it was a cold one out there today. I think it was a high of 35 degrees today, with a low of 23 degrees tonight. But guess what, it’s smokin’ up in this crib tonight. Thrill Jockey sent me a care package in the form of the new Wooden Shjips album Back To Land. It’s by far the best record of theirs. Hands down. I’m on my third listen and sonically it’s “in the pocket” as no one I know says. The songs are tight, bluesy, and filled with that space rock, kraut rock, psych rock goodness they’ve come to master. Ripley Johnson is becoming one of my favorite guitarists. His playing is simple, sparse, but he nails it every time. The drums are like a drugged-out metronome, keeping time and moving the song along in slow motion, regardless of the real tempo.

Right now “Ruins” and “Ghouls” are melting my face. Just space boogie, psych jams of the highest order. “In the Roses” which opens side two is a barn burner that tears the top of your head right off, while “Everybody Knows” is damn near a melancholy ballad. This album is perfect in every way. My only gripe is that it ends too soon. I want it to go on for an hour, or longer. That just makes me get up off the couch and keep flipping.

There will be a glowing review of this record on this very site soon, very soon. Until then, make sure you grab a copy of Back To Land when it’s available. I did get the deluxe version with the bonus 7″ but I haven’t listened to it yet. I’ll report on that tomorrow…or the next day.