The hype in the wake of 2008's wondrous Alopecia appears to have been short-lived, likely cut short by Why?'s decision to soften his edges instead of building upon his cherished eccentric approach. Eskimo Snow contains the same trademarked apathetic drawl (think The National's Matt Berninger in a quasi-hip hop context), but strewn over lulling piano-string compositions. It's perhaps not surprising that Why?'s half-hearted delivery is especially sensitive to lazy production.
"January Twenty Something" is an engaging and surreal journey, if merely an homage to the much superior "A Sky for Showing Horses Under." But "Berkeley by Hearseback" is the album's most successful effort, a dark-light, saddened-joyous counterpiece that Why? normally makes commonplace.
No comments:
Post a Comment