Clipper Ship [LP] in Bloomington, MN

Experimental and ever-shifting singer/songwriter
James Jackson Toth
capped off a hyper-prolific stint of output from his restless
Wooden Wand
project with 2014's
Farmer's Corner
LP. That album was one of several releases
Toth
and friends created in a few short years, moodily hopping from loud and angsty roots rock to softly demonic experimental folk, channeling influences that ranged from classic ragged-rock figureheads like
Neil Young
and
the Dead
to more obscure sonic searchers.
Clipper Ship
follows a three-year silence after that phase of the project, and unsurprisingly takes
's sounds in a completely different direction. The tone is set in the first moments of album-opener "School's Out," with layers of patient acoustic guitars ambling between airy chords and repeating phrases as gently oscillating tremolo guitar and
's husky baritone seamlessly join the mix. Unlike the live-band vibe that defined the previous era of
, opulent arrangements dense with a patchwork of guitar tones and cloudy drones make up the seven songs of
. Some of
's best work has come from his willingness to merge elements that might be unlikely companions, and the progression from spare raga-like folk into lush, synthy ambience on the drawn-out "One Can Only Love" is a great example of this succeeding. As the song ends with a lengthy outro of stumbling acoustic guitar figures and grumbling drones, we've been transported to a place unrecognizable from where we started seven minutes earlier. As much as
hinges on its guitar-heavy arrangements, the space and restraint of the songs also make them a great showcase for some of
's more connective lyrical moments. In particular, "Mexican Coke" paints a beautiful and strange lyrical picture, narrated by a yard-sale bottom feeder slinking through the neighborhoods looking for treasures to flip. Similarly, album centerpiece "Mallow T'ward the River" is a spacious folk ramble about a dead outlaw uncle, finding a tone a few steps removed from
Sun Kil Moon
's diary-like observations. Though almost completely devoid of percussion,
's gorgeous guitars, moody ambience, and evocative lyrics somehow carry more weight and motion than the
albums centered around a full band rocking out. By this point in the project's lengthy run, it would be hard to remove one chapter from the larger context of the massive discography, but
feels like a standalone statement, one of powerful simplicity and masterful control. In stripping away almost everything,
's songs reveal cores of sometimes blinding beauty and unsettling honesty. [
was also released on LP.] ~ Fred Thomas