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    Decapolis 2001/Unwed Sailor
    Unwed Sailor — The Faithful Anchor cover

    Unwed Sailor

    The Faithful Anchor

    (2001)

    Reviewed by Brett Miotti

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    Label Lovesick RecordingsDecapolis2001
    ambientindie rockpost-rock

    This is Unwed Sailor's first full-length album. "The Faithful Anchor" was released on Lovesick Records. The band is currently on tour in Europe with Brandtson.

    Without sounding too cliché, it's not easy to say a lot without using words. That said, Unwed Sailor has a lot to say. Most of the songs on Unwed Sailor's first full-length album convey feelings of longing, despair, happiness and most importantly and consistently, hope. Unwed Sailor does a great job of keeping you interested despite the absence of vocals, save for the last track (that's right vocals by Jonathan Ford on an Unwed Sailor song!). The songs on this release have a nice range of slower mellow tunes and upbeat toe tappers. Immediate favorites on this disc for me were "Our Nights" which is a slow mellow tune that at the end seems to swell with an overall feeling of hope, "The House of Hopes... Dreams...and Wishes" , which showcases some really nice tempo shifts and "Golden Cities". Also found on here is a newer version of the song "Ruby's Wishes", which appeared on the band's first EP. Speaking of that first EP, one of the first things listeners will notice on "The Faithful Anchor" is the addition of keyboards to the Unwed Sailor sound. Also of note is the guest drumming handled by Blenderhead/ex-Roadside Monument member Matt Johnson. If you are a fan of any type of instrumental indie rock definitely pick this up. Even if you aren't, you may find something surprisingly refreshing about the music this Chicago outfit has crafted.

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    Other coverage for this album

    HM Magazine #89Reviewed by Treble BandopplerCornerstone Festival and Made in Mexico Records introduced us to Johnathon Ford's new musical idea, Unwed Sailor, a couple years ago, with a buzz performance and a striking EP called Firecracker, respectively. Even more time spent at JPUSA in service to the needy, communal fellowship, and introspective inspiration has yielded new stories to tell for the ex-Roadside Monument bassist, and a new…Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Tom BastianThis is Unwed Sailor's first full-length album. "The Faithful Anchor" was released on Lovesick Records. The band is currently on tour in Europe with Brandtson. Often with music I tend to focus on the lyrics. Looking for melody and harmony in a song that I can sing to is something that often catches my attention. But Unwed Sailor seems to defy that, they offer only instruments, yet their music…Opus 2001Reviewed by Jason MoreheadThe first track from The Faithful Anchor that I heard was a live version of "Our Nights" posted on the band's website. I was afraid that Unwed Sailor's new album would never come out, so this little taste was a welcome relief, and my friends and I gathered around some crappy computer speakers to listen to it. It's a gentle, unassuming song, like most of Unwed Sailor's music. It starts out slowly,…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Jason MoreheadThe first track from The Faithful Anchor that I heard was a live version of "Our Nights" posted on the band's website. I was afraid that Unwed Sailor's new album would never come out, so this little taste was a welcome relief, and my friends and I gathered around some crappy computer speakers to listen to it. It's a gentle, unassuming song, like most of Unwed Sailor's music. It starts out slowly,…

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