Song of the Day: Dead Ship Sailing - Burn To Dust

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Every Friday, we feature a song from a Northwestern artist. Today’s song, featured on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Burn to Dust” by Seattle's Dead Ship Sailing from the 2013 self-released self-titled album.

Dead Ship Sailing - Burn to Dust (MP3)

Comprised of Seattle mainstay Graig Markel and Zera Marvel, Dead Ship Sailing is the latest addition to the duo's resume (after Tagging Satellites, Head Like A Kite, and Graig's contributions to Zera's solo work), approaching rough, scorching rock with a rough, minimalist aesthetic. Written in bursts during a series of evening-long, gun-to-your-head sessions, the duo's debut album recalls a brooding, robotic take on the reverb-drenched allure of The Raveonettes or the wild fury of The Kills. Using primarily vintage guitars and drum machines, Markel pulls Marvel's seductive vocals to the forefront of the album, which is filled with a charisma that seeps through the gritty production. Like an '80s Rick Rubin-produced hip-hop track, "Burn To Dust" explodes with stabbing guitars and thumping beats. As Marvel's slithery vocals ooze in the chorus, her insistent ("I won't leave until you say I'm right") and tempting ("it makes you nervous when I walk the plank") lines make a strong case for their gloriously destructive punchy, stinging strut.

Dead Ship Sailing plays Seattle very soon -- at Barboza on June 1st, in fact. Get more info and tickets for that show here, and keep up with the band on their Bandcamp and Facebook pages. For now, watch the video for "Streetsmart and Dirty":