{"title":"Current Taste","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"underwater-over-there","title":"Underwater Over There","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnwed Sailor’s ninth full length album over a 25 year Career. Founding member, Johnathon Ford, has played bass for Damien Jurado (Sub Pop \/ Secretly Canadian), Pedro the Lion (Barsuk \/ Polyvinyl), Rosie Thomas (Sub Pop), and other artists. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTulsa, Oklahoma’s Unwed Sailor have been on a tear over the past few years. Following a quiet phase through much of the 2010s, they re-emerged with the aptly titled \u003ci\u003eHeavy Age\u003c\/i\u003e (2019), and two more full-lengths, \u003ci\u003eTruth Or Consequences\u003c\/i\u003e (2021) and\u003ci\u003e Mute The Charm\u003c\/i\u003e (2023), that chart a remarkable evolution of their bass-led, pop-leaning post rock. On \u003ci\u003eUnderwater Over There\u003c\/i\u003e their ninth LP overall – a current of 80s goth and jangle-pop runs beneath a litany of memorable hooks and compositional left turns, creating a propulsive and intricate world of sound.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe band worked collectively on all elements of mixing and production to craft a meticulously layered environment, while maintaining an air of spontaneity and experimentation across the set. Early standout, “Final Feather”, drifts through varying landscapes of airiness and haze on a high-neck bass hook, while the hum of voices adds a contrast of angelic comfort.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBearing influence from New Order and The Cure in particular, its balance of gravitas and shimmer is the result of founding member Johnathon Ford ’s intuitive writing method: the lead bass line comes first, followed by supporting melodies, drums, guitars, keys, and final detailing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Dusty” is a prime example of this process, as Ford’s powerful, low-end groove anchors a full-spectrum array of guitars, bells, and arpeggiations along with Matt Putman ’s energetic drum section. Its fluid pacing provides a perfect establishing shot, with shifting moods that gather into a coda guided by David Swatzell’s harmonized, glittering guitar riffs – a sunrise after a moonless night. In quick succession, “Blue Tangier” widens the aperture with a pounding percussive refrain, vibrant bass tone and an unforgettable, fuzzed-out melodic motif.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSprawling center piece, “Junko”, is a loose callback to 2003’s \u003ci\u003eThe Marionette and The Music Box\u003c\/i\u003e, its deliberate stride and interwoven melodies evoking the hands of a mechanical clock, and the anticipation of something long-awaited but nebulous. It drifts effortlessly from innocence to intrigue, expands into a mesmerizing howl, and vanishes abruptly into mist. While honouring their forebears in winks and nods, Unwed Sailor remain totally inimitable in their approach and style, twenty-five years into an acclaimed career. The band’s clear vision for \u003ci\u003eUnderwater Over\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eThere\u003c\/i\u003e has yielded some of their most indelible work, and their inventive, passionate approach gives a strong sense of plenty more beyond the horizon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Explosions in the Sky, New Order, Tycho, DIIV, M83, Mogwai, The Church, American Football, The Album Leaf, Sigur Ros, New Order, Tortoise, The Sea And Cake, The Cure, Cul de Sac, Do Make Say Think.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Current Taste","offers":[{"title":"Blue LP","offer_id":51106365276491,"sku":"2180097","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":51106365243723,"sku":"2180096","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Unwed_Sailor_-_Underwater_Over_There_6809b450_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1737005047"},{"product_id":"cruel-entertainment","title":"Cruel Entertainment","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor their tenth LP in a career spanning more than two decades, Tulsa’s Unwed Sailor deliver their heaviest riffs, loudest squalls, and most deeply textured arrangements yet. \u003cem\u003eCruel Entertainment\u003c\/em\u003e is a catalogue of contrasts – dissonance and harmony, hardcore crunch and post-rock grandeur, complexity and catchiness – that adds a vibrant new dimension to the second phase of their discography, spanning thus far from 2019’s landmark Heavy Age up to the “vivid, starry-eyed psychedelia” (AllMusic) of 2024’s Underwater Over There.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOpener and lead single, “Rock Candy”, roars in with a gale of feedback, pounding drums, and nimble bass, until a latticework of howling guitars ushers us into a more goth-tinged space. It’s a characteristically intricate, energetic composition that flows with remarkable ease between its parts, and wastes not a moment of its three minutes. “Monster Collecting” brings a rare combination of melancholic and driving energy, reminiscent of avowed heroes New Order, but ups the ante with a tight, fastpaced rhythm section and litany of guitar lines, until opening up into a cascade of reverberating textures and tenuous sweetness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to Ford, the title \u003cem\u003eCruel Entertainment\u003c\/em\u003e refers to “the hardships of being an artist and musician in the crowded, imbalanced world of social media and streaming,” where the completion of a new work demands that the creator also be a promoter, content strategist, and agent, among many other intensifying challenges. Pointedly drawing inspiration from noisier, rowdier bands – including Fugazi, Quicksand, and Cherubs – here they seek a much-needed catharsis in the ongoing fight to keep the creative soul intact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSecond side standout, “Monty Donahue”, typifies this form of release, as massive, mid-tempo percussion leads a fluid low end theme – inspired by the dual bass assault of Dianogah – and Swatzell’s chords burst into shimmering nebulas across a labyrinthine arrangement that’s equally loud and beautiful. Title track, “Cruel Entertainment”, is a mosaic of sound for which Ford’s bass provides the mortar: taut drums list between the channels, washes of guitar stretch to the horizon, and metallic heaviness punctuates the drift. There is a confident immensity here, proving that, although Unwed Sailor have witnessed a wild amount of changes in the music industry, their knack for creating complex, vital, and masterfully produced work remains untouched.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Current Taste","offers":[{"title":"LP - Pink","offer_id":51418646380875,"sku":"R5859-9394","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":51418646413643,"sku":"R5859-4792","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/892e8566-1db5-f3e5-1025-76fd6aebeb17.jpg?v=1741617069"},{"product_id":"high-remembrance","title":"High Remembrance","description":"\u003cp\u003eFormed in the late 90s, Tulsa’s Unwed Sailor embrace a unique form of bass-led, instrumental pop with post-rock dynamics that glide between white-knuckled heaviness and breezy melodicism. Since returning from a decade-long pause in 2019, a prolific spree of creative exploration and genre blending has yielded their finest work to date, including Mute The Charm (2023), Underwater Over There (2024), and Cruel Entertainment (2025).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo craft their eleventh album, \u003cem\u003eHigh Remembrance\u003c\/em\u003e, founding member Johnathon Ford brought a series of home-recorded drafts, demos, and hooks to the studio, where they came to life with long-time collaborators Matt Putman (drums) and David Swatzell (guitar) guided by themes of nostalgia and the bittersweet comforts of memory. Across the album’s eight tracks, there are shades of peak era alt-rock grit, late 70s AM radio swagger, and rapturous New Wave abandon, among other touchstones that defy easy categorization. Lead single, “West Coast Prism”, pairs an indelible melodic hook with upbeat drums and a jangly arrangement that transforms into a driving, technicolor refrain. True to its title, the song evokes white light splitting into a spectrum, as spacious synths and soft backing vocals create an aura of melancholic bliss; Ford fittingly cites “a deep fondness for the ocean, surfing, redwoods, and rocky coastline of Oregon” as the spiritual backdrop for its environment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInspired by the ways that memories create personal identity, “Don’t Let Go” could be a lost alternative radio earworm with its taut pacing, crunchy tone, and woozy guitars, while its deceptively simple rhythm section and glitchy electronics root it firmly in the present. “Cinnamon” forefronts beautifully arranged acoustic guitar countermelodies, along with layers of subtle detail, choral vocals, and relaxed, upper-neck bass guitar strums. According to Ford, the song is “a tribute to the 70s and 80s country music that soundtracked family trips to the desert when I was a kid,” with Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty” as a particularly meaningful anchor point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt this point in Unwed Sailor’s storied career, Ford finds some of his strongest inspiration in reflecting on where the project began, while perpetually pushing it forward with new ideas, arrangements, and genre infusions. “It’s become about holding onto the things you love the most,” he notes, “including yourself.” His chord-driven bass playing remains the common thread through the band’s records, lending a familiar gravitas and warmth to every new collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor fans of \u003cspan\u003eExplosions in the Sky, New Order, Tycho, DIIV, M83, Mogwai, The Church, American Football, The Album Leaf, Sigur Ros, New Order, Tortoise.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Current Taste","offers":[{"title":"LP - Clear","offer_id":56787466584395,"sku":"R4596-9898","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":56787466617163,"sku":"R4596-5868","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/UnwedSailor-HighRemembrance.jpg?v=1773393914"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/current-taste.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}