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.
1. Little Warrior 2. Lessons from What's Poor 3. Sink or Swim 4. Shelly 5. Silver Silk 6. Eloise 7. Dark Before Light 8. Give Out 9. Ride Blind 10. Borrowed Time, Borrowed Eyes 11. Long Time 12. Enemy 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
