2012.08.06 Shipping News - One Less Heartless To Fear

Color: Black

Released: 2010, November 9

Label: Karate Body

‘still kind of reeling from the news of Jason Noble’s passing. He was definitely taken from us too soon. One Less Heartless To Fear is somewhat the result of Noble’s struggle with cancer. While he was being treated, the band decided to release a batch of live recordings of new songs that were in the works as their next album. The result is possibly their best album… it’s definitely their most agressive and direct statement. Perhaps these recordings represent works not completed to their eventual intent but, if anything, they speak to the band’s strength as a tight, cohesive unit. The energy contained within the recordings is invigorating and only serves to compliment the shift from longer songs to these short controlled bursts of chaos. Todd Cook’s bass tone on these proceedings is menacing and delightfully tasty at the same time. The packaging of this record is so effing beautiful! Artist Dan McCarthy provided an illustration for the cover that was then letterpress printed with metallic silver ink on heavy stock for the sleeve. My copy is a limited run on dark blue paper instead of the black paper that all remaining copies were printed on. The labels of the vinyl are printed on a metallic paper to compliment the ink of the sleeve. It’s a bit of a somber affair, going back and realizing that this may end up being the final statement from Shipping News. But Noble has blessed us music lovers with this and plenty of other offerings from this band and others. We are fortunate to have these records to listen to.