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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    LP version packaged with full color artworked inner sleeve.

    Includes unlimited streaming of V. via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $23 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card
    Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.

      $9 USD  or more

     

  • Limited 12" LP [Black Vinyl]
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    LP version packaged with full color artworked inner sleeve and free download card

    Includes unlimited streaming of V. via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.

    Sold Out

  • Compact Disc
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    CD version in four panel mini-LP style gatefold package

    Includes unlimited streaming of V. via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.

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1.
Eclipse 06:23
When all the light is gone I’ll be down to go and blaze a path to glory And the prophet comes I'll do something wrong and then they'll lay it on me Life’s a pretty thing To be out and free and left of nowhere floating Staring at the sun Moon's shadow cast it’s spell on everybody Gonna roll a bone And in solitary blaze my mind to glory Sitting in the stars Floating on the rainbows, glazin’ high and holy
2.
In The Fall 05:36
Wanna seek I will roll On and on Here in blood I will flow All alone Hero go I've been safe All along Feel it come In a strange Kind of lull In a fall Full of love All and all Hero come All the same In the long, evermore
3.
Red Line 05:13
Want it I've been daylights Full life I've been ready You rock, rock and then In any sense Wanted I've been redlined One love In this low life Embrace All the free life We rock, rock and run Feel everything And it Will go better Wanted I will stay right And in All this daylight We'll rock, rock and see In everyone Want it I am ready
4.
Already Gone 04:20
Why be low? All of us are sitting here Feeling strange Light a merry cigarillo The rain is here All day long we see the grey But life’s a trail Everybody’s leading somewhere Ride on All you cats I know All you said Feelin' strange On this song Any sense Is already gone
5.
I was feeling low Staring at the sun Crowds of people Walk on by What a feeling To rise above the clouds Ash is falling Around the town — burning We’re rolling down Along the borderline Thoughts are hazy now Out on the tiles Ever think that I Was living in the wrong time Sun rising In haze and fire — brings me down I've been feeling fine Sitting in the sunlight Drops of rain have Cleared smoke out I light another Marijuana cigarette Fade the edges Of my mind — fading now
6.
Why You wanna go down low I wanna rock and run Feel What’s happening in here Or would it bore me now One Why’s it winning now It is a Golden Road Want Lots of faded love I wanna live in gold Why Ride up in the clouds I wanna fade it down Feel Life’s a pretty rose I’ve got a golden flower
7.
Ride On 07:15
I’ve been rolling down Along the borderline I see the fog Rise and fall around, the city The time has come To head to higher ground I pack up all my friends And run 'em out of town I’ll be your rose, rising Out of this world, to live again All your cares Can seem so far away They're never gone And they never stray Out on your road, riding Light in your gold, shining — ride on

about

Wooden Shjips, long-time leaders of the contemporary psychedelic movement, expand their sound with V. The quartet of Omar Ahsanuddin, Dusty Jermier, Nash Whalen and Ripley Johnson augment their already rich sound with laid back, classic summer songs. The songs were written during the summer of 2017 by singer and guitarist Ripley Johnson as an antidote to the pervasive anxiety both political and natural. As Ripley tells it, “We had huge forest fires just outside of Portland and there was intense haze and layers of ash in the city. I was sitting on my porch every evening, watching ash fall down like snow, the sky looking like it was on fire. It was an apocalyptic feeling. Summer in Portland is usually really chill and beautiful, and we were working on a ‘summer record,’ but the outside world kept intruding on my headspace.” V., a graphic representation of the Peace sign, seemed apt to an album focused on the power of peace, beauty and resistance. The music is a balm against the noise and negativity.

The first single “Staring At The Sun” is a nearly 8 minute laid back, slowly building narrative, whose lyrics tell of a gentle push and pull between the desire for sun and escape and the tug of anxiety, with peaceful resistance winning the day and guiding the tone. The restless traveler Johnson gives us a few of his signature traveling songs such as “Eclipse,” and “Red Line,” both showcases for the stellar rhythm section of Omar Ahsanuddin and Dusty Jermier. Their unparalleled sense of groove and restraint leaves ample room for Nash Whalen’s keyboard flourishes. There is movement and urgency in these tracks without aggression, a rolling foundation of rhythm over which Johnson’s voice floats and elongated melodic guitar lines soar.

Each song shimmers with a distinctly Wooden Shjips sound, a relaxed summer vibe. This was a conscious choice, an atmospheric goal that influenced nearly every detail: the tones, the delay types and reverbs used, as well as the synthesizer elements that color the songs. The basics were recorded by Jason Powers at Types Foundry Studio in Portland. The guitars and vocals were largely recorded in Ripley Johnson’s comfortable home studio. The album was mixed by Cooper Crain (Cave, Circuit Des Yeux) who the band has formed close bonds with on tour. The instructions were simple “We told Cooper to keep it really fat but to feel free to play around with the other elements, make a nice headphone mix with a lot of movement,” said Ripley, “I wanted it to be floaty because that’s kind of where my headspace was at the time.”

The band’s members collectively share a love of classic rock from the Velvet Underground to Neil Young, as well as more overt love of the San Francisco scene of the 60’s. This commonality in their formative musical years binds them even as they live in different cities. V. finds Wooden Shjips embracing the emotions behind those sounds; peaceful defiance and opposition, while creating a sound and counter narrative to today’s hostilities that is wholly their own. Wooden Shjips has with V. created the most concise, laid back songs of their career. Their music is a balm of sorts, a respite from the insanity that, through its regenerative abilities, empowers continued, calm resistance. A reminder of the simple power of peace and beauty. Wooden Shjips, through V., have demonstrated the power of beauty and the power in creating it even while experiencing overwhelming dread. It is the perfect summer album, brimming with optimism and a peaceful energy, aptly timed for release at the height of spring.

credits

released May 25, 2018

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Wooden Shjips

Wooden Shjips’ rise to prominence from the psychedelic underground to the rock and roll overground has been a steady sojourn. With each new release, the band has found new ways of transforming heady psychedelic rock into minimalist masterpieces, bridging the gap between the woozy freeness of Les Rallizes Denudes and Crazy Horse and the simplicity of Suicide and the Velvet Underground. ... more

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