Now, I had only heard of this band's existence and never actually had the opportunity to listen to their music until I was able to see them. Honestly, I was dumbstruck by how excellent they were (good musicians, good amount of passion, good amount of energy), and it was not only me who reacted this way as many people who witnessed their performance promptly lined up to purchase their music - yes, purchase their music. Seeing a band live first can be a double edged sword; on one hand, witnessing a band prior to hearing them can show you the energy and sound, in the truest sense for the band, that they are capable of producing while on the other hand there is a risk that one might be spoiled by a band best heard in a live setting as opposed to hearing them on record.
"Bleach Funnel" sounds like a shoegaze influenced punk band belting out anguished tunes not unlike the kind of sound that came from Planes Mistaken for Stars, but with a bit more of a beefy bottom end. There are layers of guitars and grooves abounding scattered for the relatively quick sub three-minute-and-thirty-second track as well as the occasional hint of wah pedal. City of Ships seems as though they have figured out how to meld a great deal of sounds into their own unique take on melodies and rhythms and sounds as evidenced by the borderline sublime emanation of "Critical Vulture." The dynamic range that the song displays is pretty damn impressive. As this EP goes on, the band takes the sounds that are found on the early part of the EP and twist them into new directions while at the same time keeping the songs brief and concise. "Night Vision" exemplifies this with a variety of sounds and rhythms that all gel together. The rhythm section is great on "King Temp" while the vocals and guitars have a soaring quality that, again, builds off of some of the techniques and qualities heard elsewhere on the EP.
City of Ships sound excellent on this EP and are not trapped into a particular mode or method as their use of dynamics keeps and varied guitar tones keep things moving just enough while the band somehow makes the record cohesive. There is a hypnotic quality in the music as well as I found myself getting lost in the songs while listening several times. The best part about this EP is that they expand on the songs from how they come across live, where this three piece is a completely different animal, while still maintaining the "other" feeling that allows listeners to get lost in the music. If you get the chance to catch City of Ships live, do it; they certainly caught my attention in that setting and keep impressing me on record as well. And when you see them, pick up this EP because it is a fine listening experience.
