San Francisco's Wooden Shjips play a minimal, droning brand of garage-styled psychedelia with a noticeable '60s Krautrock influence. The band's vocals slip beneath waves of throbbing minimal rhythms, while fuzztone guitar and shrieking organs jump to the foreground. Bandleader Ripley Johnson, a big fan of impenetrable, obscure albums and arcane, small-press poetry books, was driven to make purposely obscure records that he envisioned leaving in libraries, thrift store bargain bins, and on park benches. Wooden Shjips issued three albums from 2007 through 2011. Wooden Shjips and Dos were released on Holy Mountain, while West was released on Thrill Jockey. ~ j. poet