Description
Ships is the seventh full-length album by the American indie rock combo Danielson, released on Secretly Canadian in 2006.
Since the debut of his legendary audio senior thesis for Rutgers in 1995, Daniel Smith has been crafting an alternate universe where the most wildly subversive, joyous, and demented music in the non-secular world is filtered through a Christian viewfinder, albeit a decidedly skewed one. The success of Ships, the latest from the prolific, giant tree-suit wearing anomaly, depends entirely on the listener’s opinion of the success of the Danielson empire. For years, Smith has hinted at gathering all of his musical brethren (Sufjan Stevens, Danielson Famile, Half Handed Cloud, Deerhoof, etc.) into the same room to celebrate the genre he helped popularize for a session to end all sessions. The resulting 11 tracks do not disappoint, striking the perfect balance between dissonance and melody with a backbeat that shakes the foundations of everything he’s tried before. This is Smith’s Led Zeppelin 1, 2, 3, and 4 all wrapped up into one giant boot stomp of a record, one that will no doubt please longtime followers and convert a few new ones into the fold. Lyrically, Smith is as colorful and incomprehensible as ever, trading childhood imagery for fluidity and astute observation for parable, with the notion of nautical camaraderie at its core. Standout cuts like «Did I Step on Your Trumpet», «Ship the Majestic Suffix», and the surprisingly straightforward closer «Five Stars and Two Thumbs Up» sound as communal as they read, and like every other song on the glorious Ships, they render the listener speechless. Highly recommended. [James Christopher Monger, AMG]
> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/ships/447942236)
CD tracklist:
01. Ship The Majestic Suffix – 2:54
02. Cast It At The Setting Sail – 3:30
03. Bloodbook On The Halfshell – 4:50
04. Did I Step On Your Trumpet? – 3:06
05. When It Comes To You I’m Lazy – 3:53
06. Two Sitting Ducks – 5:04
07. My Lion Sleeps Tonight – 3:03
08. Kids Pushing Kids – 6:17
09. Time That Bald Sexton – 3:56
10. He Who Flattened Your Flame Is Gettin’ Torched – 2:51
11. Five Stars And Two Thumbs Up – 2:46
Note: Released on both CD and 12-inch vinyl LP by Secretly Canadian. Remastered and re-issued on CD by Fire Records in 2013.
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[youtube_sc url=”ApQd5Rr6NwE” title=”Danielson – Did I Step On Your Trumpet? (Video)” autohide=”1″ rel=”0″]
[youtube_sc url=”qpaJuie1N6g” title=”Danielson: a Family Movie (2006) autohide=”1″ rel=”0″]Danielson: a Family Movie is a documentary about unbridled creativity vs. accessibility, Christian faith vs. popular culture, underground music vs. survival, and family vs. individuality. The film follows Daniel Smith, an eccentric musician and visual artist, as he leads his four siblings and best friend Chris to indie-rock stardom. Beginning in 1995 when the youngest band member was 11 years old, the Danielson Famile performs in white, vintage nurse costumes to symbolize the healing power of the Good News, a recurring subject matter. Though tepidly received by the Christian music world, the South Jersey farmland-bred clan is widely embraced by the mainstream independent music community, written about in Rolling Stone, Spin, the New York Times and elsewhere as an outsider curiosity backed up by innovative, experimental music. [Produced, Directed, Filmed, Edited by JL Aronson. World Premiere: SXSW Film Festival 2006]
CREDITS. Produced and written by Daniel Smith. Orchestrated by Ted Velykis. Recorded by Dave Downham, Jon Galloway, Steve Poponi, Yoni Wolf, Ben Swanson, John Ringhofer, and Christiaan Palladino. Mixed by Brian McTear with assistanse from Amy Morrissey, Ted Velykis, Christiaan Palladino and Emil Nikolaisen. Mastered by Alan Douches. Artwork by Daniel Smith and Ben Swanson (Graphics).
Musicians: Daniel Smith (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Chris Cohen (Electric Guitar, Vocals), John Dieterich (Electric Guitar, Vocals), Christiaan Palladino (Keyboards, Vocals), Satomi Matsuzaki (Bass), Ted Velykis (Bass, Bass Clarinet), Josiah Wolf (Drums), David Smith (Drums), Greg Saunier (Drums, Vocals), Andrew Smith (Drums, Percussion). Megan Slaboda (Glockenspiel, Marimba, Vocals), Sufjan Stevens (Oboe, Flute, Featuring [Whistles]), John Ringhofer (Trombone, Vocals), Tom Eaton (Trumpet), Rachel Galloway (Flute, Vocals), Melissa Palladino (Violin, Vocals), Elin Smith (Vocals). Vocals, Featuring [Claps]: Ida Smith, Jedidiah Slaboda, Lenny Smith, Lilly Smith.
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