“Within The Wilds” live @ Central S.A.P.C.
Singer/songwriter Ray Argyle and his band, Sunken Ships, have a sort of musical identity crisis. They bill themselves as playing “a darker shade of folk,” but it’s their disparate influences that wrest for prominence in their sound. Sunken Ships flirts with organic Americana elements - the standard-issue acoustic guitars are here, but there is something else churning just under the surface. The band draws inspiration from folky Brit bands, dark pop and mopey folk and it all has a sheen of sweet musical frosting on top to keep their songs from getting too macabre. All in all, it just works.
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| — | Joe Armstrong, Independents Day |
From the unholy union between Morrissey, Johnny Cash, and Jeff Buckley, and gestated in the womb of eastside L.A., a band was born. Sprung from the mind of singer-songwriter Ray Argyle, and made flesh with a motley crew of thieves, ruffians, and beggars, Sunken Ships plays a darker shade of folk, a wistful indie rock with relatable hints of bitterness and hope.
The nucleus is Ray, with acoustic guitar or piano, singing with beautiful sadness, but there’s something entirely more raucous and rebellious simmering below the surface, which finds its voice in their live shows. Ray’s croon can rasp into a shout without warning. Joe’s ethereal guitar tones morph into a wall of sound, and Pablo’s poignant violin swoops and swells above the fray.
This troupe of charmingly disheveled misfits have been making their rounds, performing in the saloons, roadhouses, cafes, and vintage stores of Southern California, and recording their debut full-length album.
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