Why? – Alopecia[Anticon; 11/03/2008]
It’s slightly energizing to see an artist weave in and out of musical genres. Jonathon ‘Yoni’ Wolf is no slouch when it comes to meeting this particular criterion. With hip-hop projects cLOUDDEAD and Hymie’s Basement, Wolf transforms styles, fronting his indie rock project, Why?. The band’s second album Alopecia is more of Wolf’s sharp lyricisms that have laid the foundation for the artist’s previous successes.
Wolf’s nasally rants are not too divergent to Destroyer’s Daniel Bejar, minus the octave shifts. There are certain tracks that are true indie rock songs during Alopecia; none better than ‘Fatalist Palmist’ and ‘Simmeon’s Dilemma’. Others sound like off-cuts from cLOUDDEAD transformed into a rockier hybrid, with the perpetual guitar line and Wolf’s stylish lyrics during ‘Good Friday’ leading the cause, while ‘Song of a Sad Assassin’ follows in a similar vein, trading guitar for piano.
Wolf’s aptitude is evident, not only dabbling in other areas from where he originally set out, but narrating certain stories and stretching his lyrics with a mind bending form of intelligence. Although certain parts fail to surpass the strength of cLOUDDEAD, Alopecia is certainly up there with some of Wolf’s finest work to date.
By Simon K
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