If there’s a takeaway here, it’s that things are never what they seem. If … takes a Big Ship was based on the first two tracks, “Gimme a Pigfoot (& a Bottle of Beer)” and “Like a Stone Cast Out to Sea,” it would seem that pianist Stephanie Nilles aspires to be a bluesy parlor-room revivalist. But such a notion is soon dispelled. By the third track,”#,” a clackety acoustic bass, violinist Zach Brock’s searing effects and asynchronous pitched percussion (where every object imaginable is either beat, struck or clanked) all are integral in establishing the adventuresome ambience. “Transistor” is nothing less than brilliant, rapid-fire string bass and organ lines and Brock’s orbit-launching solo as Nilles resigns herself to an inevitable Armageddon. As a songwriter, the trilly vibrato vocalist has plenty to say. Her lyrics are packed with content and commentaries, such as the irony of occupy movements (“#occupymypussybitch”) and the thoughtless mislabeling of ethnic groups (“Canadians Are From Canada”). Her songs are often biting and dark but there’s a strand of twisted humor (“Vodka-Based Fishbowl”) lurking about as well. Nilles likes to push the envelope on many fronts, including tackling Jelly Roll Morton’s raunchy “Winin’ Boy Blues.” Easily one of the more provocative records of the year.