Led by bassist Johnathon Ford, Tulsa, OK’s Unwed Sailor have been active since the late 1990s, honing a largely non-vocal approach that has been occasionally described as post-rock but with stylistic affinities that span back to the ’80s and are often appealingly Anglocentric in nature. With the release of Look Alive, Unwed Sailor’s discography now totals six full-length records plus a slew of singles and EPs. The latest holds up strong and encourages repeated spins through consistent depth of feeling. It’s out now on vinyl, CD and cassette through Old Bear Recordings, with the wax distributed by Light in the Attic.
The achievements detailed above are considerable; to keep a band not only active for over 20 years but producing worthwhile material throughout the duration is a rarity, but Jonathan Ford has also been a part of Roadside Monument and Pedro the Lion (in both cases prior to the formation of Unwed Sailor) plus he’s collaborated with Damien Jurado, Early Day Miners and more.
Ford has been the only constant member of Unwed Sailor, though Matthew Putman has played drums and added percussion since the outfit’s sophomore long-player from 2003, The Marionette and the Music Box. David Swatzell is the relative newbie of the group, though he was the guitarist on 2019’s Heavy Age, a self-released double-album that has been described as the byproduct of a “dark period” for Ford.
Conversely, Look Alive is said to derive from “a place of strength and inspiration.” After time spent with both records, there are a few passages on each where the specific circumstances and mindsets surrounding their making can be pinpointed, but it’s frankly much easier to discern the unity of style across the two releases as Unwed Sailor deliver a focused sound that’s energetic but also textured.
Both energy and texture are in evidence in Look Alive’s opener “Glaring,” which blends mid-tempo rhythmic drive with intermingled cascades of guitar beauty and sustained keyboard atmospheres to produce a whole that’s a bit reminiscent of later-period Sonic Youth indulging a predilection for the sound of early ’80s Factory Records.
More directly, I’m thinking of New Order prior to their developing into a full-fledged dance unit, which isn’t to suggest that bodies won’t move to “Glaring” and the other numbers comprising Look Alive, especially the title track immediately following. But a deeper link comes down to the way Ford handles the bass, which can surely bring Peter Hook to mind and is a significant component in Unwed Sailor’s moody, at times ’80s Brit-derived sensibility.
To expand, while a trio for this record, a lot of studio layering occurred in the shaping of its contents. In addition to bass, Ford lends keyboards and ambient guitar to “Look Alive,” while Putman delivered the noise samples, though the cut isn’t abrasive, but as said, textured, and with finesse, as the drumming continues to hit hard.
While Swatzell doesn’t multitask, it’s not like he ever takes a back seat, and in fact he shines in the riffy “Camino Reel,” which momentarily guides the album’s thrust toward the intersection of neo-psych and shoegaze, but with a tangible upsurge in melodiousness as the track reaches its conclusion. With “Gone Jungle (GJ Mix),” the band divert to a tough bass-heavy post-punk sound, though don’t let the parenthetical lead you to think we’re creeping toward On-U Sound territory.
With this said, I wouldn’t mind hearing what Unwed Sailor and Adrian Sherwood might cook up together. As it extends beyond seven minutes, “Gone Jungle (GJ Mix)” does highlight a desire to stretch out on Look Alive, which is cool, as the selections persist in keeping things varied. For instance, “Retrograde” is a bold Alt-rockish maneuver, minus any of the hackneyed tendencies that might infer, and with beaucoup guitar explosiveness.
See, told you Swatzell didn’t take a back seat (Ford adds some guitar to the cut, as well). From there, “Spring Theory” is the shortest track in the bunch as it serves as something of an atmospheric (but string-glistening and keyboard infused) prelude to its longest song, “Haze,” which is the set’s finale, featuring Ford overdubbing all the instrumentation himself. It builds in intensity while maintaining a slow tempo and deepening the impact with fairly subtle nature samples and a not so subtle (but well-integrated) vocal refrain in the back end.
“Haze” concludes the LP with a highpoint of emotion that’s in organic sync with all the tracks that came before. Practitioners of (mostly) instrumental music often dedicate themselves to technical mastery and the elevation of form, but while Unwed Sailor is collectively sharp on both fronts, they never sacrifice the content. In short, Look Alive is a record that kicks.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
