Sufjan Stevens? Deerhoof? Half-Handed Cloud? A lot of high-profile acts back up Daniel Smith on Ships, but don't get your hopes up - Smith's songwriting and vocal idiosyncrasies definitely outweigh any contributions from the other musicians. Offering one of his best efforts yet, Smith provides a course on 'How to Take Risks in Indie Pop' without compromising the catchiness or listenability of his songs.
As a whole, the act sounds very much like a joke - or at least as if it is being delivered with a smirk. However, this is what is responsible for the majority of the album's charm. On "Cast It at the Setting Sail," the backup singers cannot seems to harmonize in unison, sounding much like an animatronic band at a theme park. Even Smith's quirky lead vocals are hard to imagine as anything but intentionally bizarre. This becomes especially clear once he settles down on "He Who Flatted Your Flame is Getting Torched," where his voice becomes relaxed, slightly resembling Neil Young. Yet, the quirkier moments are definitely the most memorable. The first half of Ships is much stronger than the second half, mainly because the first six tracks are probably the best songs Smith has ever written. From the energy of "Ship The Majestic Suffix" to the vast instrumentation of "Cast It at the Setting Sail" to the tongue-twisting lyrics of "Bloodbook on the Halfshell," these songs carry the album.
Smith stumbles a bit when trying to end "Two Sitting Ducks" with an outro that seems to last as long as the song, followed by the drowsy "My Lion Sleeps Tonight." In addition to causing pacing problems, it forces the schizophrenic "Kids Pushing Kids" to sound more jarring than it truly is. Yet, the strength of previously mentioned "He Who Flattened Your Flame Is Getting Torched" makes this a well-rounded album, showing the Smith's depth. When it's all over, listeners may still be left trying to guess which songs feature a certain guest artist. Yet, aside from a few moments of supporting musicians breaking character, this collection definitely belongs solely to Daniel Smith.
