The Shipping News - Very Soon, and In Pleasant Company
(Quarterstick)
Very Soon, and In Pleasant Company finds the Shipping News in a
period of transition. With six new tracks and one old one, "Nine Bodies,
Nine States," a tight rocker which previously appeared on the
Metroschifter split CD a couple of years back, the album is more varied than
Save Yourself, their debut from 1997, and finds the band exploring
new textures and direction. Anyone who has charted the members progress
in their other bands will not be surprised with this development. What
may surprise, though, is the unique directions in which the band moves and
the sparseness with which they do it.
"The March Song" would not have been out of place on June of '44's
Anahata, with its tense, muted guitar plucks, snaking bass, and
drums playing their own special groove, which happens to fit perfectly
within the song. After a couple of minutes of restraint, it opens up for
a few bars of pure rock, then settles back into a tight control. It's an
upbeat way to start the album, giving the kids a little something with
which they are familiar.
"Actual Blood" is different altogether, relying mostly on a slow, big bass
line, tempered by an echoing piano, with guitar and cymbals only providing
accent. It's a lovely, moody song with the ache of loss about it. The
naked, open quality of the song is startling and effective. The
simplicity and openness of the song invites the listener to revel in the
moment. It is perhaps the finest song on this record.
"Simple Halo" finds the band back in more of a "rock" format, but the song
follows a queer line, more meandering than usual. Like "Actual Blood," it
is stripped down, which draws attention to the unusual melody and bizarre
accents, production techniques, and sounds and has a similar effect of
emphasizing the present. Whereas the Shipping News of yore generally had
a driving forward direction, the current Shipping news is more about
focusing on the elements swilling about you.
Though certain songs have similarities, overall, the record has a somewhat
disjointed feel. Apparently, it was composed sporadically, between the
individual members' work on other projects, and this may account for the
lack of continuity. Though the individual songs are very strong, they
never flow together in a way that creates a sense of a whole about the
album.
That said, this album is somewhat reminiscent of The For Carnation's
self-titled album of last year. Not so much in the sound, or the feel,
but in the method of production. Each band has taken its time between
releases, and, when they finally complete their albums, each offers a
handful of fully developed songs, with no fat and no filler. Each has the
sound of a band concentrating on making the best songs that they are
able. The thought and effort put into Very Soon, and In pleasant
Company is apparent in every song. It makes one very anxious to hear
where they will go next.
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