Woods - Sun & Shade

I get to review the new Woods record by virtue of being the first to pounce on it in the box. It's my lucky day. This one's actually been spinning a few times in the office already, and it's totally great. The thing I love most about Woods is that nostalgic warmth and feeling of wellbeing that you get from their records and this one doesn't disappoint in that respect. There's a kind of eerie, dusty quality to their songs, kind of like they're reciting songs they learned as children. To my ears Sun and Shade sounds like the least lo-fi of their recordings to date, but it's lost none of the laid back charm of their earlier records. These guys are astonishingly consistent and productive. This record starts out with three of their trademark falsetto ditties before dropping into hypnotic psych territory in the seven-minute 'Out of the Eye', and then it's back to business as usual. A lot of these songs are more upbeat than on previous records, but I guess that's the direction they've been heading for a while. I wish I knew their secret for writing songs that sound like they're long-lost classics. The playing all just sounds so nonchalant and casual, too. Everything's so softly-delivered that it really lets the strength of the songwriting and arrangement speak for itself. The second side kicks off with another extended jam, this one spookier and longer than the last, and when the songs kick off on this side i get the impression that side A is the 'Sun' and this side is the 'Shade' the title alludes to. 'Wouldn't Waste' is just solo fingerpicked guitar and vocal, and 'White Out' is a minimal bongo-and-vocal-led number...man, these guys are just great. They seem to be at a point where everything they touch turns to gold. Another soothing, fluid, organic masterpiece. If you're not turned onto this band yet, where have you been? Get on this.