Unwed Sailor

Two songs in 16 minutes and nary a climax to be found. The first recorded work in about three years for this band, led by Johnathon Ford and featuring Early Day Miners’ Dan Burton, will not blow your socks off, but it will lead to vigorous chin scratching and maybe the need for some drugs. The first and longest track, "Circles 1: Mist,” does live up to its name with it being drone-lite. The guitar creaks along in the background, never allowing its feedback and atonal bursts to become more than mere moments. It is deliberately paced and manipulating music, though it seems so understated it doesn’t do its job particularly well. The second track, "Circles 2: Mesa,” has a little more heft to it, though its’ first half is cloaked in semi-silence. Despite the drumbeat and synth being welcome, it leaves the listener wanting more, and is a stark contrast to the first piece. Thus, it’s slightly unsatisfying as a whole. Though their upcoming album may be a thing of strategic beauty, this oddity is more for the completist than enjoyable listening on its own.