1) First Call; 2) Sound of Love; 3) Fast Lane; 4) Wolf Trap Motel; 5) Man of Stone; 6) When Time Was on Their Side; 7) Grey Pastures, Still Waters; 8) We Shall Burn Bright; 9) They Are Coming; 10) Beautiful My Monster
The Huskies' dream pop gets a little more muscular with their most dynamic release yet.
Key tracks: "Sound of Love", "Fast Lane", "We Shall Burn Bright"
If the previous two albums had codified ethereal moodpieces as Husky Rescue's modus operandi, their third shakes things up; compared to its predecessors and in the context of this particular group, Ship of Light is a muscular, high adrenaline record. Ghost Is Not Real showcased the growth of the band as a band, not just a studio project, and Ship of Light goes the full mile from there. Moreso than normally, here the Huskies' sound is centered around the classic bass/drums/guitar setup, and in particular the first two: the heart and soul of these songs frequently rests in their rhythm section, a propulsive bass and pounding drums leading the momentum forward. The trademark dreamy haze of the band hasn't gone anywhere, it's now simply speeding down the moonlit highway under four wheels. In other words, this is the first Husky Rescue album that deliberately tries to move away from the cinematic headphone heaven of the band's established sound, by edging towards what we could consider, for this act, a more "rock" sound. Ship of Light is constantly on the move, eagerly twitching forward and keeping its pace, with only a few serene interludes in the way.
This new emphasis on having a legitimate groove going on is great for two reasons: one in that it's another feather in Husky Rescue's cap which differentiates it from the first two albums, but also in that it gives the band the chance to spice up what they're already great at. By now we know that Husky Rescue are experts of making wonderful mood moments that paint intricate landscapes in the listener's mind - that studio magic hasn't vanished, but now it urges you to run through those landscapes. The lush, detail-heavy production pushes the rhythm in the forefront this time, so high-energy songs like "Fast Lane" and "Man of Stone" are both rich in ambience but also racing ahead: they're like soundtracks to a car chase in your dreams, and given how many people seem to have similar driving-related associations around this album, it feels almost intentional.
The added dynamics were a welcome addition to Ghost Is Not Real and so their increased importance certainly isn't unwelcome, especially given how well it works. At best, they add a new dimension to the familiar Husky Rescue sound, like on "Sound of Love". It's Ship of Light's contribution to the tradition of stand-out pop singles that inhabit each Husky Rescue album so far, and while it's drenched in comfortably rich keyboard textures and is packed full of intricate details (I particularly love the almost-inaudible male backing vocals in the chorus), it's the bass runs and the thrusting drums that lead the song this time around, pushing the central hook to the surface. At its most exciting, it reveals entirely new aspects - the end-of-the-world rave of "We Shall Burn Bright" sounds like it's on a frantic escape run, rushing through with its organ stabs and layered percussion before finally finding itself on a clearing to launch into a majestic build-up that's all the more rewarding for what preceded it. Both burst with strength the band hadn't had before, and which they've expertly weaponised for their own means.
There's still plenty of more familiar territory but the impact of the new band power is so strong that the old atmospheric vibes actually pale in comparison. "Grey Pastures and Still Waters" and "They Are Coming", both extended mood pieces by and far, come across more like interludes. Each Husky Rescue album has had a song or two where the purpose has been to bridge the gap between two stronger songs, but the drive of the earlier parts of Ship of Light fades these two into the background completely. Similarly "Beautiful My Monster" closes the album somewhat lacklusterly; it's nice, especially once it gets going as it hits its flashy finale, but for the first and only time on the album the band feel like they're repeating old tricks with a thin coat of new paint over it. In defense of the more graceful moments, "Wolf Trap Motel" towards the start of the album is a particularly gorgeous example of just how well Husky Rescue work as crafters of soundscapes that seize you within, with its misleadingly long introduction leading onto a lush, dream-like and wonderfully arranged mid-tempo piece. The surprise gear switch simply underlines the differences between it and its later-album siblings.
Which leads to my main complaint, i.e. that the first half of the album seems to be loaded with all the cuts Husky Rescue have been the most confident about in the excitement of their increased presence, while after the halfway point the album starts sliding down towards mostly tried and tested ideas, just less excitingly than in the past two albums. "Sound of Love" hooks you in, the straightforward bangers like the intensely cruising "Fast Lane" and the atmospherically thumping "Man of Stone" circle exciting around the beautiful moodiness of "Wolf Trap Motel", and "When Time Was on Their Side" slides from its slow-burning beginning into one of the album's best choruses. Once the album settles back into familiar ground - apart from the sudden jolt of "We Shall Burn Bright" - it starts losing its shine. Playing to the group's old strengths isn't as rewarding this time around as showing off the new skills; I start the album thinking I've grossly underrated it, and leave it by realising why I haven't rated it as highly as I thought I mayhaps should.
Minor niggles though. Three albums in and despite operating in a style where locking yourself to its aesthetics will quickly lead to repetetive albums, Ship of Light is something new to the Huskies and for a good part of its duration, exhilarating. Where the first two albums were ones you'd fall in love with through your headphones, this practically invites you to play it aloud. Husky Rescue's growth from a collaborative project centered around one ringleader to a true collaboration between a tight group of friends reaches its apex here, and it still surprises with how such a studio-focused act transfers that interplay dynamic so audibly. Fate has it then that this would turn out to be the last album for this particular line-up as well; but even if it's not their best record, the people involved really perfected their own shared magic here.
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