Why?
Alopecia

Cover art for Alopecia by Why? Description: CD on Tomlab
Format: CD
Genre(s): Experimental Indie
Label: Tomlab
Price:
£13.19
Availability: Dispatched within 2-5 days (on average).

4Rating: 4
...according to our on 06 March 2008.

And onto Why? with his brand new album on Tomlab. 'Alopecia' is it's name and what a filthy quirky pop beast it is. On first listen I was disappointed with it... it just didn't do it for me. Elephant Eyelash was a total piece of genius but it took a good few listens to get into. Which is exactly what you need to do with this new album. Stick with it and you'll be ultimately rewarded with 14 tracks of perfect hip pop. It's understated perfect pop music utilising elements of folk, hip hop, electro, indie rock and it all mixes together with a huge hint of melancholy. Ant's just said he's not a happy bunny and he's right..... I never realised quite how mardy he sounds underneath it all. So check it out but stick with it cos it's a grower....

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What their label says...

Tomlab is proud to announce the release of "Alopecia," the fantastic third album from Oakland, California’s WHY?.
For those still unfamiliar, WHY? is the psychedelic, guitar-pop, folk-hop brainchild of Yoni Wolf, a Cincinatti, Ohio native with a history of bold accomplishments. In his earlier days, Wolf co-founded the famously experimental Anticon label/collective and earned critical acclaim as one-third of the seminal cLOUDDEAD project (with Subtle frontman Dose One and DJ/producer Odd Nosdam).
Today, he and his WHY? bandmates continue their growing legacy (2005’s "Elephant Eyelash" was one of the year’s most talked- about independent albums) with their most crucial, coherent record to date.
"Alopecia" is a collection of hard rhymes forced through the stubborn smile Yoni Wolf, a true lover of life who has been scorned and reborn. It is a collection of small suicides acted out in poem and sung over rich musical creations. These are musings about the grit and glory of everyday living, written down inside of restrooms and released to the rest of us.
With " Alopecia," WHY?’s usual three-piece arrangement (Yoni Wolf, his brother Josiah, and longtime collaborator Doug McDiarmid) becomes five. Joining the band for this set are Andrew Broder and Mark Erickson of Lex Records/Ninja Tune’s modern art-rock pioneers Fog.
From anthemic lead single "The Hollows" (recently remixed by Boards Of Canada) to deadpan rap track "By Torpedo or Crohn’s," the band pushes the limits of its sound, mastering mood and texture throughout.
Tracklist:
1. The Vowels Pt. 2 2. Good Friday 3. These Few Presidents 4. The Hollows 5. Song Of The Sad Assassin 6. Gnashville 7. Fatalist Palmistry 8. The Fall Of Mr. Fifths 9. Brook & Waxing 10. A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under
11. Twenty-Eight 12. Simeon’s Dilemma 13. By Torpedo Or Crohn’s
14.  Exegesis