Album Review: Why? "Alopecia" (anticon)

Recently, the infamous Fork granted indie hip hop rocker's album, Alopecia their second highest honour (the poorly named "Recommended"). What does this mean? It means the record must hold up to intermediate scrutiny! The is to be distinguished from the severe scrutiny of those Best New Music jams.

My only previous knowledge of Why? is a remix he did of 13 & God, presumably because he is co-owner of the San Francisco indie hip hop label, anticon, which released their album.

Although I'm not familiar with his other releases, I'd hesitate to describe Why? as a hip hop band or Yoni Wolf as a rapper, at least in the traditional sense. His flow oscillates between sing songy or disinterested monotony. He raps the way Beck "raps" on Odelay or occasionally like Jimmy Mack from the Bloodhound Gang (minus say, the boobie enthusiasm). It's clear that Yoni Wolf is coming from a hip hop background no matter how he delivers the lines, and many of his non-sequitors remind me of Ghostface Killah, without the bravado ("I'm blowing kisses at disinterested bitches" from "Good Friday").

Why?'s lyrics tend to be the antithesis of radio hip hop but he doesn't spend a lot of time bemoaning this (ahem, Oh No and Cadence Weapon). There is no crew name being dropped every 10 seconds (e.g., "R-e-U-p G-a-n-g"), no mentions of living the good life (or T-Pain chorus vocoding for that matter) and certaintly not the kind of music we'd hear Lil' Weezy guest rapping on.

The opening line of Alopecia ("I'm not a ladies man/I'm a landmine filming my own fake death" from "Vowels pt.2") is the best opening manifesto since Mr. Malkmus' tongue in cheek "Of all my stoned digressions" on his jam-fest, Real Emotional Trash. Why? is self deprecating; that opening line tells us a little something about Yoni Wolf's self perception and then quickly distracts the listener with more superficial subject matter.

Most of the songs on Alopecia follow a similar lyrical see saw. For example, "These Few Presidents" starts as an ode to being broke but takes on a whole other meaning when Mr. Wolf mentions that he'd fly to an old friend's funeral from anywhere he was even though he hadn't seen the friend in ages. I found this line particularly peculiar: while most people would find that this sentiment is sweet on the surface, what does it say about friendship that we find it romantic to attend a loved one funeral but not actually make time for the person in life?

The (I can't believe it's a) single, "The Hollows" is a particularly clever song where Why? admires two men having sex in the corner of a basketball court and recalls the pocket change noises of the movement. It is this type of minutia that makes Alopecia such a great listen and Why? such an unique lyricist.

The should-have-been-the-single "Simeon's Dilemma" ranks up there with the Streets' "Dry Your Eyes" and Kanye West's "Bittersweet" as great break up hip hop jams. It has the clearest narrative of any song on Alopecia, although I'm not entirely sure if the feelings that Why? conveys throughout the song are reciprocated. After the declaration, "I still hear your name in wedding bells/will I look better or will I look the same rotting in hell/You're the only proper noun I need" the song swells into a neat mess of chimes and rhythmic noise (not unlike that heard on the Bon Iver record) only to come back to the song's opening warning that if the narrator "gets caught" he'd "deny, deny, deny." By the time he utters, "You're mostly what I think about," I can't wait to hit the repeat button.

At the same time, one complaint I have about Alopecia is that while the lyrics are engaging and the delivery is almost always unique, the music could stand to vary a bit more. The indie pop of "Fatalist Palmistry" feels refreshing after the mostly downbeat electronic folk hop of the previous six songs. The Dntelian bloops of "Brook and Waxing" is a nice change of pace but ultimately the song feels tossed off. After musical and lyrical stand out "Simeon's Dilemma," Why? seems to shift back into automode with the two closing tracks which don't necessarily ruin the album but seem after-the-fact after the album's emotional high point.

While Mr. Wolf is at his most charming when he is blurting out nonsensical observations, I can't help but feel that his best songs are the songs where he takes a few seconds, steps back from being quirky, and emotes just a bit. This is not to say an album of songs like "Simeon's Dilemma" would be an improvement but with a little focus and a better filter (am I the only one who loves a solid 10 track album?), Why? has the potential to be excellent.

The album holds up under intermediate scrutiny.

Recommended Songs: "Good Friday," "Simeon's Dilemma," and "These Few Presidents."

Listen!