Canyons

No Idea

Street: 02.07.09

Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves = Backyard Babies + Cobra Skulls + Heavy Trash

Rollicking blues-thumping rock n’ roll bleeds out of these guys. Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves are a full-throttle rock band with a full, rich sound that is as colorful and as it is raw. Wollard, who’s also in Hot Water Music, takes several steps closer to a more roots-influenced rock sound than he’s done in the past. His song writing, always at a high level, seems to have gone even higher, probably due to the fact that he’s the clearly at the helm of these Ship Thieves, and Canyons is very much his vision. The acoustic “Lonely Days” is especially engaging and captivating, but then things are taken to the other end of the spectrum with the next track “Sick Sick Love,” with some of the nastiest down-and-dirty bass lines on the intro of this song of dark desire. This is a gripping, layered record, and even after many listens I keep finding more to like. As much as I like Hot Water Music, I think I want another Ship Thieves record more. –James Orme