Josiah Wolf - Jet Lag

If your game plan as a musician is to write random lyrics, rap with minimal ability to hit pitches, and throw indie drum-and-single-melody-driven riffs behind it all, I'd tell you two things. First, that sounds absolutely terrible. Then I'd tell you that it's already been done. Amazingly. By the Cincinnati/Berkeley-based band Why?. Mainly a product of the duo Yoni and Josiah Wolf, Why? has delivered this unique sound for almost a decade. Check out my review of their October 2009 release, Eskimo Snow.

Anyways, when I found out that Josiah Wolf, the drummer and background vocalist of Why?, was releasing a solo album, I was incredibly intrigued. Yoni's voice and lyrics are a major part of why I love Why?, so without Yoni, what's left? The answer is Josiah Wolf's March 29th release, Jet Lag.

At first listen, some parts stand out as great. The opening track, "The Trailer And The Truck", was in my head for days when I first listened to it. And I really enjoy "Ohioho", another song with a strong melodic hook. But the rest of the album was rather disappointing.

Josiah, as a solo artist, had some really rough challenges. Lyrically, Why? is known for it's rapping and randomness interspersed with brilliant lyrical one-line masterpieces. And that love of the random lyrics is very present in Jet Lag. However, the slow, emotion-laced vocal style of Josiah are lost in a blend of boring and meaningless. The emotions are lacking a sense of realness since the lyrics are perceived as random. The slow lyrics (as opposed to Why?'s rapping) don't have the same great effect. I'm stuck listening to his sometimes pushy/whiney vocal tone.

On top of vocal challenges, stylistically, Why?'s bells/piano riffs on top of fantastic drum-driven beats were only (understandably) slightly apparent in Josiah's album. And while it works in a few of the tracks, a lot of Jet Lag feels like it's missing the biggest piece - uniqueness.

SIDE NOTE: At some points, it's like Why? teaming up with a mellow The Flaming Lips intertwined with Iron & Wine-esque riffs. Check out "The Opposite of Breathing" and let me know if you know what I'm talking about.

I'm not going to lie. I was disappointed with the album as a whole. But the parts that work really are good. The first track gets stuck in my head every time I listen to it (in a good way). And the mellow layered sound can be perfect for a thought-driven car ride. But the album unfortunately tends to blend into itself. That being said, literally nothing short of a zombie emergency would stop me from seeing Yoni, Josiah, or the rest of Why? live. They put on an absolutely fantastic show.

Why? - Eskimo Snow

I grew up in a small suburb of Cincinnati. It was nicknamed 'The Bubble' because of how small it was. And how tight knit. And I hated it. So I went to Philadelphia for school. Yet at some point, I gained a huge amount of pride for my home town - The Nati. Reds, Bengals, Jerry Springer being our Mayor, Race Riots, Drive-Thru Beer, Birthplace of the Jewish Reform Movement, Skyline Chili, Graeters Ice Cream, and, maybe the most important of them all, Marx Hot Bagels.

So when I found out about R5 Productions my first semester in college and saw a description of a guy who started making music with a 4-track tape in a basement while being the son of a Rabbi in Cincinnati, I knew I had to go. And after an unbelievable live show of raw vocalized and drum beats with catchy melodies and awesome lyrics, I was hooked.

Last week, Why? released a new album, Eskimo Snow. And while it's not close to the greatness of Alopecia (2008) that wowed the shit out of me live (Or even Elephant Eyelash (2005), which had a lot of character and unrefined greatness), Eskimo Snow is still good. It just seems to be missing a lot of the Why?-ness that was so new and refreshing in earlier albums. It seems incredibly toned down and more vocal focused. That being said, "Blackest Purse" is beautiful. And "January Twenty Something" is a great song. But, overall, the album lacks a lot of what made me fall in love with Why?. The strong beats of songs like "The Fall of Mr. Fifths", "The Vowells Pt. 2", or "Song of the Sad Assassin" (all from Alopecia) made the album one I've listened to 50 times. Eskimo Snow's lacking that. And the middle of the album gets almost monotonous.

On Anticon Records, Why? is absolutely fantastic. If you ever get the chance to see them live, do it. They put on a great live show and sell some pretty cool T-shirts. Check out their myspace or follow them on twitter. I'm a little bummed about Eskimo Snow in comparison to past albums, but that in no way hampers how much I appreciate and love their creativity and their ability to present something new.

I hope everyone had a easy fast on Monday. Welcome to the new year!

10 Bands To Check Out If You Haven't

So you're looking for some new music. Here's a list of 10 bands from the near-present you should check out that I haven't reviewed (yet?):

1. Why? - defines Trip-Hop. Heavy beats, awesome lyrics. From Cincinnati/Berkeley/NYC.
2. Bon Iver - Lots of internet hype. Layered mellow indie-folk. Gorgeous. From a cabin in the woods.
3. Dr. Dog - Think 60's rock. Awesome vocals. Great bridges. From Philly.
4. Grizzly Bear - Delicious harmonies. Catchy dissonance. From Brooklyn.
5. TV on the Radio - Multi-influential band with a great new feel. Fun to dance to. From Brooklyn.
6. Lake Street Dive - A little known jazz/folk band from Boston. Awesome. "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."
7. Pomegranates - Catchy riffs, rough around the edges, falsetto vocals. From Cincinnati.
8. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Featuring Father Hummingbird and The Seven Fields of Aphelion. Cool guitar work. They use a Rhodes. From Pittsburgh
9. Passion Pit - A little over-hyped post-MGMT high vocals upbeat and fun. From Cambridge.
10. Rupa and the April Fishes - A multi-linguistic mellow and enjoyable feel-good music. From San Francisco.


Enjoy!