The dozen songs on
the Good Ship's debut album are outright lovely. Acoustic guitars, pianos, muted horns, cellos, and gentle voices swirl to create the band's slow, mellow chamber pop. The music is never anything less than pleasant, though rarely makes a strong impression either. Though there is some variation on tone, the nearly drumless cavalcade of earnest somberness continues at even keel for the disc's duration. The album's flow from verses to not-particularly-memorable choruses, and from song to song, feels like floating in the gentle roll of a warm sea. ~ Jesse Jarnow