reax music magazine :: music + culture » Reviews » Why? - Alopecia

Anticon posse Lifetime Member cardholder Yoni Wolf's latest release in the guise of indie-rock unit Why? is yet another almost-perfect storm of catchy pop, clever free-associative flow and wonderfully idiosyncratic execution. Wolf continues to move away from his alternative-rap roots, letting his deadpan nasal delivery lapse into spoken-word alliteration less often and pairing his simple melodies with alternately bombastic and fragile structures built on layers of piano, acoustic guitar and interesting bell-and-whistle flourishes. The simple “These Few Presidents” recalls a hastily sketched They Might Be Giants demo; “Song of the Sad Assassin” offers a labyrinthine juxtaposition of keyboard hook and intermittent rhythm; “Fatalist Palmistry” is pure, gorgeous pop. It's all nicely off-kilter and addictive in a way that occupies a space all its own between novelty and artistry, an exercise in post-Beck experimentation that's thoughtful enough to be substantial, but never approaches pomposity. Through it all, however, the main attraction is still Wolf's insane wordplay – his cadences and topical mash-ups remain the stuff of the backpack MC's notebook, and sound that much more killer against such a musical backdrop. – Scott Harrell