One of the more surprising events or rather instances that I have been able to witness is that of discovering the three piece outfit City of Ships. The group's frenetic energy and obvious emotional stake in the music which they play is simultaneously impressive and inspiring. Live Free or Don't is actually the band's first EP which precedes their self-released tour EP; it consists of five tracks of their rough but unique blend of musical concoctions.
The sound swells of "20/20" do not prepare listeners for the heavy riffing of the guitars that come in directly afterward before further giving way to another completely different style of music; City of Ships quickly shows their chameleon like abilities to shift in out of music forms right from the get go on this EP. However this song can be a bit on the melodramatic side at times, particularly in the vocals. Immediately, "Hold Tight" continues this musical shape shifting to somewhat mixed results; whereas some of the sounds on this song are truly balls-y, others just do not measure up to other material which the band has. "Evidence-Based Medicine" is one of my favorite pieces on Live Free or Don't with its angular guitar riffing that hovers just above the beefy sound of the bass and the solid drumming; the song arrangement is one of the more cohesive on the EP as well. "Time Flies" is another step in a different direction for City of Ships with a much more measured song arrangement that takes its time; the music sounds good, but I definitely prefer the more ragged sounding vocals to the soaring cleaner vocals (but that is personal preference only).
Seriously, City of Ships is extremely difficult to pin down to a particular genre or style as the band shifts from style of music and incorporates everything from elements of Planes Mistaken for Stars to even moments which remind me of Isis or other heavy "post-rock" or "post-metal" outfits (but in an condensed form); sometimes these amalgamations are seamless and done well while at others just do not gel as well. Still, Live Free or Don't is a strong effort from a band that obviously puts a great deal of heart into their music, and even though it is not as strong as their tour EP, there is plenty value in this quick EP to make it worthwhile to hunt down and spin a few times on a stereo.
