Wooden Shjips guitarist Erik "Ripley" Johnson has been busy with his side-project, Moon Duo, as of late, meaning that we haven't had an official LP from the San Francisco, CA psych-rockers since 2009's Dos. That's about to change, since the group just signed to Thrill Jockey and are gearing up to release a new full-length.
Wooden Shjips' new album is called West, and a press release notes that it "is their first album recorded in a studio." It features mastering work from Spacemen 3's Sonic Boom (aka Peter Kember), who recently helmed Panda Bear's Tomboy, and the engineering skills of Phil Manley (Trans Am, Jonas Reinhardt).
According to an announcement from the label, the album's theme is "the American West, and all of the mythology, romanticism, and idealism that it embodies." This doesn't mean that every song will be about the West, but "it was very much an undercurrent during the songwriting of the album."
With its "steady, driving rhythms" and "thick and distorted guitar lines," West promises to be "an epic journey to the edge and beyond."
The LP is due out on August 16. That same month, the group will kick off a world tour on the West Coast. Stay tuned for dates, and check out the album tracklist below and the cover art above.
UPDATE: The album is now due out on September 13.
West:
1. "Black Smoke Rise"
2. "Crossing"
3. "Lazy Bones"
4. "Home"
5. "Flight"
6. "Looking Out"
7. "Rising"
Wooden Shjips' new album is called West, and a press release notes that it "is their first album recorded in a studio." It features mastering work from Spacemen 3's Sonic Boom (aka Peter Kember), who recently helmed Panda Bear's Tomboy, and the engineering skills of Phil Manley (Trans Am, Jonas Reinhardt).
According to an announcement from the label, the album's theme is "the American West, and all of the mythology, romanticism, and idealism that it embodies." This doesn't mean that every song will be about the West, but "it was very much an undercurrent during the songwriting of the album."
With its "steady, driving rhythms" and "thick and distorted guitar lines," West promises to be "an epic journey to the edge and beyond."
The LP is due out on August 16. That same month, the group will kick off a world tour on the West Coast. Stay tuned for dates, and check out the album tracklist below and the cover art above.
UPDATE: The album is now due out on September 13.
West:
1. "Black Smoke Rise"
2. "Crossing"
3. "Lazy Bones"
4. "Home"
5. "Flight"
6. "Looking Out"
7. "Rising"