Unwed Sailor

Grandfather Tortoise is an easy label to slap on Unwed Sailor for Little Wars; it’s instrumental post-rock covered in molasses. All the genre hallmarks are present: chiming guitars, irregular time signatures, occasional squalls of distortion, a drum-heavy mix and multiple key layers, but the pace is lethargic, barely creeping beyond a plod. Not to disparage an obviously capable composer and performance ensemble but if there was a retirement home for shoegazers, Unwed Sailor would be the house band. Among contemporaries so positively bursting with creativity and energy, Little Wars comes off like a safe house for easy jazz listeners. A seasoned, "progressive” band, Unwed Sailor shouldn’t need to be reminded that dynamics encompass more than just volume. Maybe if there was even one sign of life on this ambient snooze-fest I’d be able to shake the image of a bunch of geriatrics in a recording studio sporting ELP shirts and bible camp grins.