Alopecia

Why | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 11, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Anticon
• ASIN: B0011V7OQ0
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,279 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

As expected, the band--Yoni Wolf, Josiah Wolf, Doug McDiarmid--continues its calculated blitzkrieg on that self-made jangle-rap, indie pop 'n' roll genre, but the stakes are raised. The boys returned to their Midwest roots for Alopecia, hunkering down in Minneapolis's Third Ear studio and inducting a pair of venerable big guns into the band: Fog mastermind Andrew Broder and bassist Mark "Bear" Erickson. Throwing their samplers to the wind (mostly), Why? recorded live as a five-piece. By the time the core trio returned to Oakland (where Thee More Shallows' D. Kessler engineered a final session), they'd amassed their most immediate and cohesive batch of songs to date.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "To those last ten years, I've been howling at a paper moon.", May 29, 2008

By 

Kevin Satterwhite (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alopecia (Audio CD)

It's amazing how much Anticon as a group of artists and label have grown. I remember being a fan of Yoni Wolf many years ago when he was more of an impact behind the scenes rather than center stage. Back when he was the sole individual under the moniker Why?, Dose One was way too eccentric, and Sole was the stud of Anticon.

For those completely unfamiliar with Anticon, Yoni or Why?. Anticon is an indepedent label in which Yoni Wolf started with others and still maintains today. Why? is an experimental electronic band (they're not hip hop), which of course is on the Anticon label. The base of their music is electronics and they experiment with vocals, lyrics, timing, and rhythms. Usually, it's quite serendipitous. I'm all about allowing artists the freedom to experiment how they desire, it's the greatest element of Indie music.

Why? still represents Yoni Wolf but not solely. Why? is now a three piece act, which includes Yoni's brother, Josiah Wolf, and friend, Doug McDiarmid. With the addition of these band mates, Why? is showing it's diversity and maturation.

Three years ago, "Elephant Eyelash" was their first collective release and is still amazing. "Alopecia" (which is a medical term for baldness) is definitely a positive leap forward for the band. This release is by far more cohesive, accessible, catchy, melodic, constant, you name it. It's better. Some of Why?s best songs are featured here. I can even go as far to say that Why? have finally outdone Subtle this year. Subtle of course being a surprisingly popular experimental band by Dose One (Yoni's partner in cLOUDEAD and an original Anticon member). While neither are in competition of each other, it's very noteworthy as Dose One has been a beneficiary of boost in fame these past few years. Perhaps, now it is Yoni and Why?s turn in the spotlight. I think so....

Standouts are: "A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under", "The Vowels, Pt. 2", "The Hollow", "By Torpedo or Crohn's", "Simeon's Dilemma", "Good Friday", among others.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars mix-and-match experiments, April 3, 2008

By 

David M. Madden "nonnon/dj_webern" (salt lake, utah United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alopecia (Audio CD)

Yoni Wolf aka Why? mastermind, once a force in the juggernaut "hip-hop" outfit cLOUDDEAD (someone once said "they are to hip-hop as Nirvana is to, say, the blues"), returns with more of the same obtuse songwriting he has displayed since he began. He can create interest out of nothing, offering commentary on the minutia of everything from kitchen towels to white-boy auto-erotic literature ("only look at black and Puerto-Rican porno/'cuz they want something that their dad don't got") to sleeping positions, all subjects he flits between in a stream-of-consciousness fashion. Together with Andrew Broder and Austin Brown, Wolf complements his words with a mélange of hip-hop, new wave and twang, the trio capably realizing all sorts of mix-and-match experiments. After dozens of solo and group releases, Why? still manages to work a niche that thrives on ambiguity, forged ingenuity and unassuming trinkets, their own genre that only they know how to work.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why? 2.0, May 18, 2008

By 

Memento Mori (East Coast) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alopecia (Audio CD)

Why? really out-did themselves with this album's great, sometimes darkly humorous lyrics and catchy beats.