Why?, "Eskimo Snow"

Okay, so I know I used the word “underrated” in my post about Mimicking Birds' Eons. And trust me, I also get really annoyed when people call any album or song or artist they like “underrated”. But I cannot describe this album without using the word, so I apologize for that. WHY? is probably my favorite band on the planet, along with Modest Mouse. My brother showed me a song by them a couple years ago, and I ended up becoming the one obsessed with all music composed by Yoni Wolf (WHY?’s lead singer/rapper). While fans of WHY? tend to worship their earlier albums Elephant Eyelash and Alopecia, Eskimo Snow is not only my favorite WHY? record, but one of my favorite records period. Eskimo Snow was not well-received by fans when it was released in 2009 because there is no trace whatsoever of the hip-hop sound and electronic experimentation that they became known for. Maybe this doesn't bother me because I didn't listen to WHY? until two years ago, so I already knew that they went on to make the most hip-hop oriented album of their career after this album was released (Mumps, etc.) But whatever the case is, Eskimo Snow is plain underrated amongst WHY?’s own fanbase and in the rest of the indie world. While hip-hop and zany production had previously been integral to WHY?’s sound, stripping these elements away somehow resulted in one of the most beautiful straight-up indie pop/rock records I've ever heard. The melancholy, piano-based opener “These Hands” sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the album. Sad, but still lyrically witty and oddly uplifting. As the album progresses, there are hints of post-rock (“Against Me”), folk (“Even the Good Wood Gone”), and even a loud, Built to Spill - esque 90’s rock tribute (“Into the Shadows of My Embrace”). These are all genres that WHY?’s previous albums never tackled, but they somehow pull it all off with great ease. In some ways, this album proves that Yoni’s signature lyricism can make any WHY? record sound great no matter what the music sounds like. However, it would be foolish to say that the instrumentals don’t contribute to the greatness of this record. Two tracks found near the end of the record, “Berkeley by Hearseback” and the title track “Eskimo Snow”, are two of the most beautiful indie songs by any artist. “Berkeley”, a song about Yoni’s obsession with death, uses a combination of acoustic guitar, piano, xylophone, light percussion, and a touch of gentle electric guitar to create an instrumental that any music fan could get lost in. The lyrics accompanying this astounding piece seem bizarre and maybe even off-putting at first, but after a few listens they make perfect sense. “Eskimo Snow”, the short but reflective album closer, should by all means be an indie classic. It’s similar in vein to Death Cab’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”, or even a somber Elliott Smith track. But this simple song hits the core like no other WHY? song (except maybe “Berkeley”) and few other indie songs in general. Yoni’s brief closing statement is the hopeful declaration “I’m still here”, yet he sound more and more worn each time he sings it. This perfectly summarizes the mood of the entire record, making it one of my favorite album closers.

Hopefully this write-up will convince you to check out this largely unrecognized, great record! I could go into much more detail about this album, but I think this post is already long enough…



Click here to listen to "Berkeley by Hearseback"
Click here to listen to "Eskimo Snow"