Pitchfork really tore the new WHY? album apart, huh?
Incredibly unjust, if you ask me. I know I'm probably treading on eggshells even mentioning their name, but hey, I tend to find them pretty reliable on the whole.
2.8 / 10, though?!? "Often unlistenable"?! It's a bit of an exercise in hyperbole.
Anyone else appreciate that whilst they may not have liked it, 2.8 is ridiculously low? I think it's an amazing album!
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Why?
pretty great album, to be honest
very bizarre.
Rightly so.
Terrible band.
fucking hell
Only had a couple of listens, so can't judge how good the album is, but it definitely aint a 2.8
also,
all the lines that the reviewer is tearing apart are the ones that jumped out at me immediately as being awesome...
Seeing them tonight, love all the other stuff a ridiculous amount
Have not been able to get into this album at all though and have been struggling to really put my finger on why that is. This review, whilst unduly harsh, has kind of verbalised a more extreme version of the reaction I've had to it.
It's still typically self-absorbed but with none of the humour, charm or linguistic dexterity of the last few albums which let him get away with it.
That said, Paper Heart is the massive highlight for me (Sod in the Seed aside) and that's the track the review has it's knives out most for.
Just listened to it again
Must be my tenth full listen through I think. it's still a real slog.
Came away from the show utterly underwhelmed as well
When did Yoni become a cringeworthy dick on stage? I liked him better when they were a three piece and he had instruments to play instead of worrying about *stage presence*
well. i've been enjoying it thoroughly.
don't tend to read reviews much, but i just read that one. basically reads as: "yoni is a cunt." which isnt the nicest thing to say/read - but i guess when you put yourself out there, it's gotta be expected.
Ian Cohen is always doing these kind of reviews.
He jumps to a lot of conclusions here and I think misinterprets a lot of the lyrics. You may remember the last time the writer was guilty of exactly the same and was then torn apart; http://futureoftheleftv2now.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/based-on-novel-of-same-name.html
I'm all for criticism, but when you make such harsh judgements on a record I think you have to be absolutely sure you're getting right. For me at least, Cohen isn't even getting close to the heart of this record. I mean: "Instead, a sizable portion of Mumps, etc. turns out to be a longform rumination on what it means to be Yoni Wolf, Lead Singer of WHY?." Well, yeah. Surely that's the entire fucking appeal of Yoni's songwriting? For a reviewer who claims to think Why? are a 'great' band, it baffles me how he has arrived at that statement.
interesting
I thought I recognised his writing style...
That FOTL review was an absolute joke. Am going to discount this review then, especially as Dis gave it 9...
Also thought it was very strange
I prefer this album to Eskimo Snow tbh.
generous
didn't get the record
at all. couldn't listen to it more than once through. 2.8 feels about right to me...
Going to give it a couple of more listens
but Elephant Eyelash and Alopecia are two of my all time favourite albums. Why? are also amazing live.
for what it's worth, which is undoubtedly less than Pitchfork, i think the album is amazing.
Saw them live last night for the first time
Songs from Alopecia were just in a league of their own compared to songs from their other albums. How can I love Alopecia so much but get so turned off by everything else they've done? I've listed to Mumps, etc. a couple of times and although I can't put a score out of a hundred on it (stupidly flawed scoring system anyway), I really don't find it good at all.
how about Elephant Eyelash
that easily approaches Alopecia levels of brilliance
I think it's better personally
That's because it IS better
C'est parce qu'il EST mieux
Saw them in Brighton as well last night
Really enjoyed the gig, but found that it was far too heavy on the stuff from Alopecia. The new stuff worked really well live, but, imo, the set needed more variety. 6 tracks from Alopecia, 7 from Mumps Ect..., 2 from Elephant Eyelash and none from Eskimo Snow. You guys going tonight are in for a treat. Best gig out of the 4 Why? gigs I've seen.
For the record, I fucking love the new record.
the single is pretty awful
couldn't finish it
interesting
don't agree with the reviewer at all. really like the new album, i think it's a return to form as I really didn't like Eskimo Snow.
on first listen
i thought it was pretty dull
further few listens and im really into it. doubt it'll ever mean as much to me as alopecia does, but even that i didn't really like at first.
i find pitchfork's review a bit weird. the idea that it's "unlistenable" just doesnt seem in the slightest bit real to me. the writer admits that he's just talking about the vocals and lyrics, but i can't see what line he's suddenly crossed where youy couldnt listen to it for enjoyment or whatever he says.
im interviewing yoni this evening for DiS. anyone have anything particular they'd like asked?
i'd kinda like to know...
if he's thought about re-interpreting some of his older pre-band why? songs as full fleshed out full band recoordings. there's this cool video on youtube of the current band playing 'dirty glass' from oaklandazulasylum and it totally gives the song new life. kinda like what bonnie prince billy did with "greatest palace music".
good point
have you heard the live album of stuff from Oaklandazulasylum? it's very lo fi
nopers have never heard that.
i will look to obtain. cheers.
i'll be honest
i heard it once, 5 years ago. cant 100% guarantee it really exists. it was called "almost live at the something bar freezer" or something
Almost Live From Anna's Cabin
ask him what he did to pitchfork
He keeps arguing that the lyrics are too ambiguous
but hasn't Yoni always written like that?
and then he argues that the lyrics are TMI and too specific
shit review
Barely addresses the instrumentation or production.
Just has it in for Yoni's lyrics
I've always had the feeling someone at P4K wasn't a fan of Why?/Anticon in general, and this review seems like an easy shot at a band who's gone slightly 'out of fashion'...
To call Eskimo Snow a career highlight and this record 'career suicide' in one piece is baffling. I'm not a huge fan of recent Why? (more of a Subtle man, me) or this record, but the review is awful.
The most annoying thing about this review is how it bangs on about how good Eskimo Snow is (it isn't)
and doesn't once mention Elephant Eyelash, which the review obviously hasn't heard. Not going to listen to this record anyway but this completely nullifies the review.