We haven't heard too much from Wooden Shjips for a while. In 2003 they were one of the first of the new psychedelic bands coming from the States with a minimalist droning garage sound. The latest album release is quite a move on from then, and with "Back To Land' the first recorded out of their hometown San Francisco the title tells all. With a focus on the acoustic guitar the feel is more reminiscent of the Californian 60's hippy generation.
"Ripley Johnson and Omar Ahsanuddin moved to Oregon, where the lush climates became a major influence on the songwriting... the band’s scope expanded to include more earthy, grounded tones,".
Ah yes... so that's "back to the garden" then.
Except the meticulous detail of their press indicates the album presentation is anything but minimalist.
-
"The LP version of the new album is pressed on opaque pink vinyl and packaged in a heavy duty old-style tip-on gatefold jacket with an artworked flood on the pocket . The jacket also features high gloss UV printing and is housed in a deluxe die cut slipcase. A free download coupon is included. For a limited time all mailorder customers ordering the vinyl LP edition will receive a bonus 7" featuring two non-album tracks : "Colours" and "These Shadows (Acoustic Version)"
And there's more..
-
"CD version is packaged in a 4 panel mini-LP style gatefold package with high gloss UV printing that is then inserted into a custom die-cut O-Card slipcase."
And more..
-
"In addition to these deluxe packages ALL mailorder customers who pre-order the CD or LP edition will also receive a free download of the non-album 7" track in advance. "These Shadows (Acoustic Version)" will be released on ITunes on Sept 16th. At that time all pre-order customers will begin receiving a complimentary download of the track."
So after needing something like a degree in marketing to figure out what you do want, here's a link. It's at iTunes and you can order it here.
And here's the sounds.. which is the really important bit because it's a pretty cool vibe.
