Experimental and ever-shifting singer/songwriter James Jackson Toth capped off a hyper-prolific stint of output from his restless Wooden Wand project with 2014's Farmer's Corner LP. That album was one of several releases Toth and friends created in a few short years, moodily hopping from loud and angsty roots rock to softly demonic experimental folk, channeling influences that ranged from classic ragged-rock figureheads like Neil Young and the Dead to more obscure sonic searchers. Clipper Ship follows a three-year silence after that phase of the project, and unsurprisingly takes Toth's sounds in a completely different direction. The tone is set in the first moments of album-opener "School's Out," with layers of patient acoustic guitars ambling between airy chords and repeating phrases as gently oscillating tremolo guitar and Toth's husky baritone seamlessly join the mix. Unlike the live-band vibe that defined the previous era of Wooden Wand, opulent arrangements dense with a patchwork of guitar tones and cloudy drones make up the seven songs of Clipper Ship. Some of Toth's best work has come from his willingness to merge elements that might be unlikely companions, and the progression from spare raga-like folk into lush, synthy ambience on the drawn-out "One Can Only Love" is a great example of this succeeding. As the song ends with a lengthy outro of stumbling acoustic guitar figures and grumbling drones, we've been transported to a place unrecognizable from where we started seven minutes earlier. As much as Clipper Ship hinges on its guitar-heavy arrangements, the space and restraint of the songs also make them a great showcase for some of Toth's more connective lyrical moments. In particular, "Mexican Coke" paints a beautiful and strange lyrical picture, narrated by a yard-sale bottom feeder slinking through the neighborhoods looking for treasures to flip. Similarly, album centerpiece "Mallow T'ward the River" is a spacious folk ramble about a dead outlaw uncle, finding a tone a few steps removed from Sun Kil Moon's diary-like observations. Though almost completely devoid of percussion, Clipper Ship's gorgeous guitars, moody ambience, and evocative lyrics somehow carry more weight and motion than the Wooden Wand albums centered around a full band rocking out. By this point in the project's lengthy run, it would be hard to remove one chapter from the larger context of the massive discography, but Clipper Ship feels like a standalone statement, one of powerful simplicity and masterful control. In stripping away almost everything, Toth's songs reveal cores of sometimes blinding beauty and unsettling honesty. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi

1		School's Out
2		Sacrificial
3		Mexican Coke
4		Mallow T'ward the River
5		One Can Only Love
6		Clipper Ship
7		Mood Indica [Reprise]

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