Smooth Sailing Forever
Cornelius Chapel, 2020
10/10
Listen to Smooth Sailing Forever
It’s been a busy year for Terry Ohms (who is actually Wes McDonald), as Smooth Sailing Forever is his 2nd album of 2020, and he’s also in bands like Vulture Whale and People Years, too. Once again, he plays all instruments on the album, produced and engineered it, and even designed the artwork, too.
And, of course, it’s an incredible record where his inimitable formula is again enthralling and fascinating.
Ohms starts the album with the warm acoustic strumming of “Curse Of The Bat”, where his rugged yet tuneful pipes guide the gritty Americana rocker that’s quite topical as it tackles the mishandling of Covid, and “Artificial Waterfall” follows with a unique mashing of alt-rock and modern indie-rock where his southern roots shine amid the charged delivery.
Like all of his work Ohms puts an equal amount of thought into every track, so each one is a standout in its own light, including the softer “When This Is All Over’, which builds into a dense display of hypnotic and fuzzy rock, while “Do You Feel That” jangles swiftly with nods to the early days of alt-rock in a way that reminds us of Pavement or Dinosaur Jr. “Get Together”, an exceptional tune, then brings in some soulful ideas amid shimmering guitar work and meticulous song craft.
Near the end, “Through A Glass” pairs experimental ideas with dense reverb in some type of grunge meets dance-rock hybrid, and “Action Room” exits the listen with much attention to mood as a firm beat, soundbites and nods to funk finish out the eclectic and innovative record.
Recorded primarily during lockdown, this 8th album as Terry Ohms is yet another peek into an astonishingly creative mind where various subgenres of rock are explored in ways no one else would or could replicate. If you’re not familiar with Terry Ohms or any of McDonald’s other bands, you’re missing out on some of the best music being made today.
Travels well with: Timber- The Family; People Years- Animalism