Why? I Don't Know...But They Do

Why? I'm not really sure, but I suppose the band with the same name might know the answer. This Oakland, California based band breaks the hip hop barrier usually held up by their Anticon label and delivers an off centre and off key indie rock record that sounds something like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. With jerky rhythms, often hilarious lyrics, and sense of no holds barred audio exploration, Why? create songs that will leave you questioning what they just did, and...why they did it.

Their album, Eskimo Snowtakes an artful approach to indie rock and often uses the quiet/loud dynamic to it's fullest effect. For example, "Against Me," uses a piano riff to set the mood and then gently swells up with guitars and other instrumentation to make it's presence known. While, this often used by indie rock bands, none probably use it as strangely on every song as Why? often do. The piano often takes center stage on Eskimo Snow but is then pushed to the back and even off the stage the rest of the band steps up. Imagine Ben Folds in a fight w/the Flaming Lips and you kind of have an idea of where this band comes from.

This isn't really bog standard indie by numbers, rather it's off-the-wall and intriguing. If you think about it, it goes with this bands name to a tee. Eskimo Snow is a peculiar little record that finds it's melodies and hooks in all the wrong places and while this shouldn't work by any stretch of the imagination it does. Somewhere between swells, Why? finds tunefulness and rides it like a wave into shore like Kelly Slater.

Eskimo Snow is most definitely intriguing stuff. It's a grower of a record that has to work itself into your consciousness. The songs on Eskimo Snow aren't accessible in any typical sense, in fact some might be annoyed the constant ebbing and flowing of every song. But, once you get around how Why? writes songs you begin to realize that Eskimo Snow is quite a charming record. Unconventional and a bit strange, Eskimo Snow is a record that stalks you until it eventually wins you over. It's an aural guilt trip it's ok to have.