Why? - Alopecia Review written by Naked Radio host Colin Miller

Band creates accessible music for a diverse audience

By Colin Miller
Guest Reviewer

Why should you care about Why? My initial response to this would be that listening to its new record could change your life drastically, but that would be a gross understatement.Why? has all the pop-playability of the most popular songs on the radio.When it comes to lyrics, “Alopecia” has far more emotionally penetrating verses than whatever fill-in-the-blank-slowdance-song people will play at their weddings.

With lyrics more intelligent and more poetic than almost anything you’ll hear put to music, Why? creates amazingly original music.Why? appeals to common experiences as if they were pop culture references: the reference is universal yet infiltrates into deeply personal experiences.This talented group has the equal capacity to shape the sound of any band still making music, to be played at your party this Friday and to be the study of any professor from the English or philosophy department.

Yoni Wolf, his brother Josiah, and Doug McDiarmid make up the talented Why? trio. “Yoni writes and sings mainly, but he’s also known to dance, play any instrument he can get his hands on (piano, keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, harmonica), sample and occasionally beat his chest like a gorilla,” according to http://www.anticon.com. “Doug (or “Death Metal Doug,” as the others prefer) is the utility man, maneuvering such heavy machinery as pianos, guitars, samplers and turntables,” according to the Web site. “Josiah plays drums, teaches drums to little kids, eats drums for breakfast and sleeps drums at night. Driven by brotherly competition, he also plays anything that Yoni plays.”

Yoni Wolf started the band as a solo effort named after his alias from group recordings in Greenthink and Clouddead. Wolf went on to start a label, Anticon, with fellow Clouddead member, Tim “Sole” Holland and a few other musicians. The members of Anticon have not won a spot on American Idol for a chance to record music. Instead, they started recording music on their own and pay their own paychecks now.

Wolf has been performing and recording for a decade, any fame or notoriety that he has gained over the years is because of personal ingenuity and ability. It doesn’t hurt that he surrounded himself with other highly talented and influential musicians. Why? has shared the stage with such notable acts as Yo la Tengo, The Islands and Fog.

“Alopecia” offers everything listed above in the way of intriguing lyrics, romantic notions, abstract narratives and creative music, but the standout feature of this album is the continuation of the popification of Wolf’s sound which started sometime after his first solo EP. Accessibility to the average listener made a huge leap from 2003’s “Oaklandazulasylum” and ’05’s “Elephant Eyelash” and with “Alopecia” Why? has taken this trend further.

Although many critics would instantly say an artist is selling out to the public’s will, this isn’t the case. A close listen to Why?’s work over the years uncovers musical and lyrical themes and motifs similar to those on “Alopecia.” The album sports a new rhythm and meter to the lyrics than is typical of Why?’s previous releases. “The Hollows,” the album’s first single, is a perfect example. The tracks “Good Friday” and “By Torpedo or Crohn’s” showcase Wolf’s penchant for rapping, where tracks like “Fatalist Palmistry” show a complete competence for creating upbeat pop nuggets. Also, “These Few Presidents” flexes Why?’s metaphor morphing muscles in ways that would make Wolf’s high school English teacher cry tears of joy.

Visit Why?’s Web site http://www.myspace.com/whyanticon.

Alopecia is the technical term for hair loss, according to http://www.dictionary.com.

The members of the band are not bald, so I do not know why they choose to give the album this title.

The verdict:

My best explanation is that the album deals with the intricacies and stresses of everyday life, leading to an outcome such as “Alopecia.” Miss it? Why?