Ship Thieves – No Anchor

In removing his name from the band’s title, Chris Wollard’s full band side project, Ship Thieves, has amassed a stand alone reputation that draws upon the talents of all of its members.  While easy enough to single out the legendary co-frontman of Hot Water Music, the project has more than developed its own right to stand on its own two legs.  With two distinct full length to their name, Ship Thieves have explored the rustic folky fields of the countryside and ragged rocker’s mentality of the city.  They’ve never written the same record twice, and the same can be said of their third outing, No Anchor.  

It was bound to happen, but No Anchor actually defines itself as the closest to Wollard’s legacy work in Hot Water Music.  Wollard’s gravelly, unrestrained bark lends itself for the first time in a Ship Thieves outing, and the band rises to the occasion.  Delivering a pulse of crunchy, runaway riffs, No Anchor sits as Ship Thieves’ heaviest and most direct work to date.  Wollard’s long since defunct side project, The Draft, serves as perhaps the most direct reference point, framing the Ship Thieves’ inherently rough nature with a heavy dose of alluring melody.

Opener “Middle Man” roars in with Wollard’s grand throaty cry in a performance sure to capture the approval of any longtime orgcore enthusiast.  Against a backdrop of muscular riffs that morph between tough and melodically astute from chorus to verse, Ship Thieves leave little room for questioning No Anchor’s direction.  Look no further that “Born Into This” for the type of epic, vocal harmonies, that Wollard and company are known for, and which Hot Water Music fans still crave.  Generally, tracks like “No Anchor” and “Rotations” fill the subtle, atmospheric side of the spectrum, whereas those like “Long Way Down” and “Something Is Missing” bare their teeth for the full strength of a forceful of a bite.  The latter in particular features some of the album’s heaviest guitaring and most tenacious riffs.  For that matter, the bulk of No Anchor’s back half comes packed with some of Ship Thieves’ grittiest entries (check out “Ruts”).

Ship Thieves’ third LP fits in well both alongside the band’s past works as well as in with Wollard’s decorated lineage.  No Anchor doesn’t take as many risks as with his Ship Thieves’ early years, and some may argue that the disc defaults to the safety of Hot Water Music and The Draft, but that ignores the immense comfort and pleasure that fans stand to reap from this latest effort.  With offerings like this, Ship Thieves continue to cement themselves as a more than a spin off or side project.