C.J. Boyd has literally spent the last ten years of his life on tour. Boyd refers to his obsessive dedication to the road as the InfiniTour. As the ten-year anniversary of the InfiniTour approached, both Boyd and his label (Joyful Noise Recordings) decided the occasion should be marked with the release of a commemorative album. But no ordinary album would suffice, the project would have to match the expansive scope of the massive endeavor being celebrated. From this idea Kin Ships was born. Kin Ships is a sprawling four disc collection documenting the vast assortment of people and places Boyd has touched, and been touched by over the last ten years. Kin Ships traces Boyd's winding path across the United States, making use of many unconventional recording spaces along the way, from an A&W parking lot in Wheatland, Wyoming, to an abandoned grain silo in Buffalo, New York, to the bathroom in the Delaware House Travel Plaza on I-95 in Newark, Delaware. But Boyd is quick to assert that the American landscape framing his sonic adventures is merely circumstantial - none of us get a say in deciding where we're born, right? "I have absolutely no allegiance to the US or any government," Boyd emphasizes. Though Boyd didn't set out to create a celebration or critique of the United States, some commentary was inevitable. In the liner notes, Boyd shares memories of his encounters with Occupy Wall Street in New York, and the Standing Rock protests in North Dakota. One of the most memorable moments on Kin Ships is Boyd's somber reading of Adam Matlock's moving "Song For Ferguson". In his commentary on the song in the album's notes, Boyd explains how his bi-racial heritage has shaped his views on race and justice in America. Boyd's love for the music and musicians he's encountered on the road is palpable. At times Kin Ships feels like an intimate curated tour through 21st-century DIY music in America. There's a recurring theme of movement present throughout the music on Kin Ships, reflecting the constant motion of touring, and our continual push towards meaning and purpose in life. It's a musical journey that provides listeners with space to explore. Like a great novel Kin Ships takes time to unfold, and sticks with you long after the story has ended.
13 Catalyst / Philosophize in It! Chemicalize in It!
14 Uncanny
15 Not at Home
16 St. Joseph's
17 Boulevards
18 The Hell-Bent and Heaven Sent
19 Pharaoh
20 Wake Up It's Time to Rise
21 Dropout Generation
22 How Small
23 Distance
24 Choir
25 Bodies
26 So Long You
27 Circumnavigation / the Highway
28 Empires
29 The Ballad of Paper Ships
30 Horses
31 Ships
32 Slow Passage
33 Car Wreck
34 Resident
35 Ash Into the Sky
36 There's No Invisible Disguise That Lasts All Day
37 Drinking Isn't Fun Anymore
38 River Babies
39 Not Having Found
40 People / Halfsleeper
41 Leave Here
42 Lonesome Guitar
43 Formidable Design
44 Severance
45 Bent
46 Violent Lavender
47 Paint
48 Song for Ferguson
49 Universe
50 Rolling Home
51 Desert
52 (Bonus Track) Outlying Territories of the U.S. Empire
C.J. Boyd has literally spent the last ten years of his life on tour. Boyd refers to his obsessive dedication to the road as the InfiniTour. As the ten-year anniversary of the InfiniTour approached, both Boyd and his label (Joyful Noise Recordings) decided the occasion should be marked with the release of a commemorative album. But no ordinary album would suffice, the project would have to match the expansive scope of the massive endeavor being celebrated. From this idea Kin Ships was born. Kin Ships is a sprawling four disc collection documenting the vast assortment of people and places Boyd has touched, and been touched by over the last ten years. Kin Ships traces Boyd's winding path across the United States, making use of many unconventional recording spaces along the way, from an A&W parking lot in Wheatland, Wyoming, to an abandoned grain silo in Buffalo, New York, to the bathroom in the Delaware House Travel Plaza on I-95 in Newark, Delaware. But Boyd is quick to assert that the American landscape framing his sonic adventures is merely circumstantial - none of us get a say in deciding where we're born, right? "I have absolutely no allegiance to the US or any government," Boyd emphasizes. Though Boyd didn't set out to create a celebration or critique of the United States, some commentary was inevitable. In the liner notes, Boyd shares memories of his encounters with Occupy Wall Street in New York, and the Standing Rock protests in North Dakota. One of the most memorable moments on Kin Ships is Boyd's somber reading of Adam Matlock's moving "Song For Ferguson". In his commentary on the song in the album's notes, Boyd explains how his bi-racial heritage has shaped his views on race and justice in America. Boyd's love for the music and musicians he's encountered on the road is palpable. At times Kin Ships feels like an intimate curated tour through 21st-century DIY music in America. There's a recurring theme of movement present throughout the music on Kin Ships, reflecting the constant motion of touring, and our continual push towards meaning and purpose in life. It's a musical journey that provides listeners with space to explore. Like a great novel Kin Ships takes time to unfold, and sticks with you long after the story has ended.
