Shipping News - Flies the Field

I almost hate to do this, but I’m giving this album the most average review possible. It’s not that Flies the Fields is this monumentally average album. More so, I just don’t really know what I can say about this album… Don’t hate it, don’t love it; not bad, but not really that good either. If Shipping News is a so-called post-rock band, then maybe there is a little too much rock. Doesn’t really strike me as just deadpan meandering of stoner rock either; while the songs do spend most of 5+ minutes in that constant tension of building up to nothing much at all, there are those moments when something is happening. Maybe it’s just the steady almost unchanging bass lines that give the songs that feeling that’s not quite droning, but not quite full out rock either. It’s sort of a shame too, because I loved Jason Noble’s work with the Rachel’s, and I know a lot of people into Rodan, of which Noble and Jeff Mueller were both a part. There are some tracks that I do enjoy; although, they are often the more structured, vocal heavy tracks, such as “The Human Face” and “Untitled w/ Drums.” Maybe I’m just picky, maybe this album didn’t catch me in the right mood, but for whatever reason, I just haven’t found myself dying to really listen to this record more than a handful of times. I’m not avoiding it; it just doesn’t suit the summery sun outside. [www.southern.com]