Vee Hua 華婷婷
Eskimo Snow is an album full of what I would call “unseeming pop songs.” WHY? have managed to craft an album of songs that aren’t particularly graceful or classically poppy, but somehow, it works. A couple lines from this song or that song manages to get lodged into your head, and before you know it, you’re listening to the whole song so you can listen to those two lines. Soon, you’re somehow in love with the whole song with all of its atypical nuances; the lack of generic song structures and lack of clear melodies in some songs become charming. The tinkering, twinkling backgrounds built on strings, synths, and piano and the occasional curious use of instrumental silence become irresistible. Add in vocalist Yoni Wolf’s signature off-kilter, cryptic lyrics, and the disc is worth it for its lyrical content alone. Album opener “These Hands” and title track “Eskimo Snow” are easily digestible highlights, and “Against Me” is a death-themed work of art. The other tracks are growers, but grow they will; you will soon find yourself singing about cutting watermelons with wires and finding dead foxes.
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Jake Renn
Navi Esparza
