Small Leaks Sink Ships

After an apparent three year hiatus, the Tempe, Arizona based band has returned to the studio to work on a new EP and LP. I’m currently digging their song, Glass Hypnotist, which is off their EP, slated for a Jan ’11 release. I loooove the minute long piano intro, the percussion and the crescendos of this song. And I especially dig the “shoot your television/it sells nothing but lies” and the “sho sho sho, shooooot technology” line.

If you’re interested in learning more about Small Leaks Sink Ships, you can check out their about page, but fair warning: it is quite lengthy and poorly punctuated. (hah) - feeling anxious PR

After an apparent three year hiatus, the Tempe, Arizona based band has returned to the studio to work on a new EP and LP. I’m currently digging their song, Glass Hypnotist, which is off their EP, slated for a Jan ’11 release. I loooove the minute long piano intro, the percussion and the crescendos of this song. And I especially dig the “shoot your television/it sells nothing but lies” and the “sho sho sho, shooooot technology” line.

If you’re interested in learning more about Small Leaks Sink Ships, you can check out their about page, but fair warning: it is quite lengthy and poorly punctuated. (hah) - feeling anxious PR

Small Leaks Sink Ships are an eclectic indie rock band from Mesa, AZ. This is a release that has caught me completely off guard. The band is coming from so many different angles here that it is easy to find oneself lost in their sound. The first thing that strikes me are the noodley guitars that echo back to emo’s past. Bands having to do with Tim Kinsella (Cap n’ Jazz, Owls, Joan Of Arc, Make Believe) certainly come to mind. But it is the sound of the past mashed together with more modern bands like The Mars Volta and Minus The Bear that makes Small Leaks Sink Ships debut record such an exciting listen.

“The Flood” starts off this diverse album on a gloriously high note. This song is an early contender for song of the year. Instrumentally, the song is absolutely beautiful. The vocals, which at times can be distracting on Until The World Is Happy; Wake Up You Sleepyhead Sun, actually accent the song to a great degree here. It does not take long for the vocals to distract though. On the album’s second track, “Gutter Of Disneyland”, we see the opposite spectrum…I call it The Mars Volta symptom of overly dramatic vocals. The band rebounds quickly though. The hard-charging chorus of “The Best Time Of The Worse Year” is worth the price of admission alone. “Dear Dictator” hooks you right from the very beginning with catchy gang vocals. The band then comes in and rocks out in hectic fashion before the gang vocals and piano work their way back in. On the instrumental “Boom, Tip, Crash”, you can see the band’s instrumental prowess without having to get past any kind of vocal hangups. The band goes in the opposite direction on “Shake” which only has an acoustic guitar and bongos accompanying the vocals. These two songs go along way into showing how versatile Small Leaks Sink Ships can be. “Sackcloth In Ashes” approaches “The Flood” in the memorable department. This band has the capability of writing some truly great songs and they do it more times than not on Until The World Is Happy; Wake Up You Sleepyhead Sun.

There is a definite prog influence on Small Leaks Sink Ships that is similar to The Mars Volta as well. The band’s vocal tendencies and musical extravagances will certainly turn some people off and I can certainly understand why. If you can get past those things and truly dive headfirst into this album I promise you will see how impressive it really is. To imagine that Until The World Is Happy; Wake Up You Sleepyhead Sun is Small Leaks Sink Ships debut record is incredible. Small Leaks Sink Ships has made me a believer. - Sound as Language

Small Leaks Sink Ships are an eclectic indie rock band from Mesa, AZ. This is a release that has caught me completely off guard. The band is coming from so many different angles here that it is easy to find oneself lost in their sound. The first thing that strikes me are the noodley guitars that echo back to emo’s past. Bands having to do with Tim Kinsella (Cap n’ Jazz, Owls, Joan Of Arc, Make Believe) certainly come to mind. But it is the sound of the past mashed together with more modern bands like The Mars Volta and Minus The Bear that makes Small Leaks Sink Ships debut record such an exciting listen.

“The Flood” starts off this diverse album on a gloriously high note. This song is an early contender for song of the year. Instrumentally, the song is absolutely beautiful. The vocals, which at times can be distracting on Until The World Is Happy; Wake Up You Sleepyhead Sun, actually accent the song to a great degree here. It does not take long for the vocals to distract though. On the album’s second track, “Gutter Of Disneyland”, we see the opposite spectrum…I call it The Mars Volta symptom of overly dramatic vocals. The band rebounds quickly though. The hard-charging chorus of “The Best Time Of The Worse Year” is worth the price of admission alone. “Dear Dictator” hooks you right from the very beginning with catchy gang vocals. The band then comes in and rocks out in hectic fashion before the gang vocals and piano work their way back in. On the instrumental “Boom, Tip, Crash”, you can see the band’s instrumental prowess without having to get past any kind of vocal hangups. The band goes in the opposite direction on “Shake” which only has an acoustic guitar and bongos accompanying the vocals. These two songs go along way into showing how versatile Small Leaks Sink Ships can be. “Sackcloth In Ashes” approaches “The Flood” in the memorable department. This band has the capability of writing some truly great songs and they do it more times than not on Until The World Is Happy; Wake Up You Sleepyhead Sun.

There is a definite prog influence on Small Leaks Sink Ships that is similar to The Mars Volta as well. The band’s vocal tendencies and musical extravagances will certainly turn some people off and I can certainly understand why. If you can get past those things and truly dive headfirst into this album I promise you will see how impressive it really is. To imagine that Until The World Is Happy; Wake Up You Sleepyhead Sun is Small Leaks Sink Ships debut record is incredible. Small Leaks Sink Ships has made me a believer. - Sound as Language

Starting your debut album with the sound of breaking glass is risky. This seemingly violent noise might indicate a hardcore album is not too far away. The next noise is someone walking on said glass. Now, if you’re a sensible person, you are running for the hills. Lucky for me, my mother had butterfingers and I stayed around for the pleasant surprise that is Until The World Is Happy; Wake Up You Sleepyhead Sun. The debut from Small Leaks Sinks Ships features an eclectic mix of genres (death metal not included) and this young band has really set the bar high for 2007.

There is no easy way to describe the type of music Small Leaks Sink Ships play. The band could easily be called progressive or experimental (but that doesn’t mean a whole lot these days). There is an impressive instrumental track, an acoustic track, piano- heavy songs, gang singing and some loud rock songs. The vocals are high-pitched, scratchy and (sadly) might turn some people off. The production handles this problem expertly. No one element dominates throughout. Some songs show off the excellent drumming, others feature the technical guitar riffs. There is something to love for everyone on Until The World is Happy...

“Dear Dictator” is all over the place. The song starts slow with piano and excellent gang vocals. Then, as quickly as this starts, the dueling (girlfriend issues) guitars take over. Even later, the vocals become distorted and much more frantic. And no, this song isn’t 11 minutes long. It’s less than 4, impressive. Next comes “Boom, Tip, Crash”, an instrumental song that is very reminiscent of something We Followed Tigers would write. “Shake” is an acoustic track that features bongos! Damn, I love bongos. Anyways, this is a song about the uncertainty of love (you’re preaching to the choir) and the vocals do a great job of imitating the delicate subject matter. I can’t help it, the opening guitars in “Sackcloth In Ashes” remind me of a Dave Matthews song. Nothing against Dave (that’s a lie), but he could learn something from the chorus of this song.

How do you end an album these days? With a slow, brooding song of course! Thankfully, this young band has obviously read my other reviews and decided to place said track at spot nine instead of ten. Don’t get me wrong, “A Muted Moment” is a fantastic song. The song features beautiful piano work, semi-desperate vocals and enough emotion to make even the saddest scenester throw back the sheets, slip on his vans and rip down all of the poetry about his ex-girlfriends. Listen to this song and tell me music isn’t powerful anymore. I dare you (yes, a double dog).

When bands record an album as diverse as this one, certain problems emerge. Subsequent releases may be called “bland”, or even worse, “ a strange departure.” Small Leaks Sink Ships could be one of these bands, it’s the whole “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario. If they pick a certain style, they are copping out. Keep experimenting, and they are confused. Personally, I expect great things from this young band, no matter what path they choose. Maybe their next album will start with a gunshot. Songs with gunfire are always great. - Absolute Punk

Starting your debut album with the sound of breaking glass is risky. This seemingly violent noise might indicate a hardcore album is not too far away. The next noise is someone walking on said glass. Now, if you’re a sensible person, you are running for the hills. Lucky for me, my mother had butterfingers and I stayed around for the pleasant surprise that is Until The World Is Happy; Wake Up You Sleepyhead Sun. The debut from Small Leaks Sinks Ships features an eclectic mix of genres (death metal not included) and this young band has really set the bar high for 2007.

There is no easy way to describe the type of music Small Leaks Sink Ships play. The band could easily be called progressive or experimental (but that doesn’t mean a whole lot these days). There is an impressive instrumental track, an acoustic track, piano- heavy songs, gang singing and some loud rock songs. The vocals are high-pitched, scratchy and (sadly) might turn some people off. The production handles this problem expertly. No one element dominates throughout. Some songs show off the excellent drumming, others feature the technical guitar riffs. There is something to love for everyone on Until The World is Happy...

“Dear Dictator” is all over the place. The song starts slow with piano and excellent gang vocals. Then, as quickly as this starts, the dueling (girlfriend issues) guitars take over. Even later, the vocals become distorted and much more frantic. And no, this song isn’t 11 minutes long. It’s less than 4, impressive. Next comes “Boom, Tip, Crash”, an instrumental song that is very reminiscent of something We Followed Tigers would write. “Shake” is an acoustic track that features bongos! Damn, I love bongos. Anyways, this is a song about the uncertainty of love (you’re preaching to the choir) and the vocals do a great job of imitating the delicate subject matter. I can’t help it, the opening guitars in “Sackcloth In Ashes” remind me of a Dave Matthews song. Nothing against Dave (that’s a lie), but he could learn something from the chorus of this song.

How do you end an album these days? With a slow, brooding song of course! Thankfully, this young band has obviously read my other reviews and decided to place said track at spot nine instead of ten. Don’t get me wrong, “A Muted Moment” is a fantastic song. The song features beautiful piano work, semi-desperate vocals and enough emotion to make even the saddest scenester throw back the sheets, slip on his vans and rip down all of the poetry about his ex-girlfriends. Listen to this song and tell me music isn’t powerful anymore. I dare you (yes, a double dog).

When bands record an album as diverse as this one, certain problems emerge. Subsequent releases may be called “bland”, or even worse, “ a strange departure.” Small Leaks Sink Ships could be one of these bands, it’s the whole “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario. If they pick a certain style, they are copping out. Keep experimenting, and they are confused. Personally, I expect great things from this young band, no matter what path they choose. Maybe their next album will start with a gunshot. Songs with gunfire are always great. - Absolute Punk

"Think intelligent, forward-thinking, prog-influenced indie rock that thankfully keeps the pretentious wankery to a minimum" - Alternative Press

"Think intelligent, forward-thinking, prog-influenced indie rock that thankfully keeps the pretentious wankery to a minimum" - Alternative Press