Wooden Ships is the famous song by Crosby, Stills & Nash in which they sing about the flower children of the 1960s. The 'j' that the quartet of the same name from San Francisco added to 'Shjips' is reminiscent of playful actions by Provos in the same era in which words were spelled as phonetically as possible. However, there is nothing playful about the 1960s that Wooden Shjips evokes. Bad trips,
… Charles Manson and Altamont can be heard in songs that are often based on one slow riff played on a heavily distorted guitar. On top of that, singer / guitarist Erik Ripley Johnson sings modestly like a Valium-obscured Jim Morrison. West is Wooden Shjips' third album and their best. They have let go of the lo-fi sound of previous albums, which only benefits the dark atmosphere. It's great how this almost motionless music remains exciting and captivates an album for a long time. (MR)more
