Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves

Anybody Else b/w Left to Lose [7-inch] (2010)

Bryne Yancey

If you've seen Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves live in the past year or so, you've probably noticed that the band has a stockpile of new songs and with a couple of exceptions (like, ahem, "No Exception"), their excellent 2009 debut full-length is barely revisited. It takes either a lot of confidence or a sheer ability to not give a shit to hit the stage of a packed room and play a bunch of songs nobody knows. It's equally frustrating for fans when the band takes so much time to release said songs, which again, are very likely 100% finished and ready to be recorded. Chalk that up to the nature of a band like the Ship Thieves, where every member has prior commitments and it's difficult to get everyone in the same studio for more than a weekend.

With this new 7" for Sound Study Recordings--which we'll assume is eponymous--Wollard and the boys trickle out two new songs, and like their half of their split with Drag the River, it's a wonderful but brief exercise, not coming close to wearing out its welcome but also not staying nearly long enough. But guys, YOU JUST GOT HERE!

"Anybody Else" sees the band navigating slightly new territory; frankly, the song just plain rocks more than anything else we've heard from them thus far. The chorus, simple as it is, is rather bouncy, with drums and cymbals pounding and crashing over a simple yet effective guitar riff. The song has a certain Stax Records-esque quality to it, if you will, and Wollard's weathered howl adds more soul to it than one might initially expect.

The B-side here is "Left to Lose," a tight acoustic number with an exorbitantly catchy chorus. Although it lacks the inherent weariness found in "The Same to You" or "Hey B," the lighter tone works in the song's favor, allowing the listener to hear yet another different side of the band. However, having the track fade out instead of just end is--and will always be--a poor choice.

This 7" is another above-average addition to the Ship Thieves' arsenal; but now, it's high time for them to set aside a couple of weeks to record a full-length. 2011 is rapidly approaching; enough days have passed. Make it happen, captain of the fictional vessel which the Ship Thieves have presumably stolen.