Woods - "How to Survive In / In the Woods"

Woods - Holes (Shrimper 2007, originally 2005)

Woods – How to Survive In / In the Woods / Shrimper

One of the most pleasant musical surprises of this year has come from two woodsmen… pardon me, woodsists. A deconstructed folk-pop duo, Woods peaked out from behind the trees in the early moments of 2007 and dropped a lo-fi pop album that may sneak onto the shortlist of my year’s favorite records. Off-kilter, playful and downright infectious, At Rear House’s mix of “memorable verse-chorus-verse songs with weirdo farmland explorations” has provided much solace over the last eleven months whenever I needed a break from the complexity of the city. With the success of the release, Shrimper has been nice enough to re-release Woods’ debut recordings, How to Survive In / In the Woods, as well.

Comprised of Jeremy Earl and Christian DeRoeck, both of the smart Brooklyn indie rock band Meneguar (think Les Savy Fav with the vocal charm of The Dismemberment Plan or mid-career Q and Not U), and select friends, Woods became an outlet for the pair to explore bare essential folk and the construct of vocal harmonies. This initial release from 2005 was previously only available on cassette through their analog tape-loving label Fuck-It Tapes, which has also unleashed cassette-only releases from the likes of Excepter, Magik Markers, Jana Hunter, Raccoo-oo-oon, Hair Police, Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice and a myriad of other near-unclassifiable experimental bands (notice that nearly every release on their website is sold out).

How to Survive In / In the Woods closely resembles their 2007 folk-pop delight: affectionately wavering vocal harmonies, bare-boned acoustic guitar backdrops, plenty of tape hiss and a desire to balance syrupy pop melodies with noisy experimentation. But where At Rear House displayed an unpredictable prowess for concise pop ditties, How to Survive In / In the Woods features the pair toying with outlying ideas much more.

From the opening strums, Woods makes it apparent their main concern is undiluted pop pleasantries. “Holes” skips along for a brief two minutes of perfectly aligned vocal harmonies, a simple acoustic guitar-led rhythm and oddball, almost Frank Black-like lyrics, “Based on your reflection / skin and bones, skin and bones / how long til we forget / skin and bones, skin and bones.” The harmony flips for “Kid’s Got Heart” with the lower register now leading the way; it gives the tune more of an unsettled feeling. Guitar interplay begins to take precedent as well. Faintly surf-derived interjections of electric guitar carve out a driving melody as feedback swallows the track by song’s end.

“How to Survive In” is the first of three increasingly disturbed instrumental-based tracks. These more outlandish pieces, pulling influence from the likes of Sandy Bull, Sonic Youth and Henry Flynt, were casualties in the recording of At Rear House, which is kind of a shame because they provide deeper insight to the pair’s musical ideals. Yes, catchy lo-fi folk-pop appears to be Woods main concern, but there are much more underlying inspirations for the music than what the final product may solely display.

If these pop ditties are what sold you on the band though, then there are plenty of those for the picking as well. “Keep It On” is probably the ripest of your choices; so much so, it’s the only track to be re-recorded for At Rear House. Counterintuitively, the original version of the song features a much deeper mix with richer tones weaving amongst the over-modulated and sparse drum plods. The arcing vocal melody led by an easily accessible high-pitched voice is what hooks you in though, and it’s an approach they took advantage of much more with their sophomore release.

Like most respectable pop music these days, Woods makes sure to powder their pop with outlandish noise excursions and plenty of quirk. It rarely overshadows their refined songwriting though, and by no surprise, those imbalances are the album’s weakest cuts (“God Hates the Faithless”, “Holier Than No One”). I’m quite pleased that Shrimper decided to re-release How to Survive In / In the Woods in formats friendly to us stuck in the 21st Century, because it acts as both an essential insight into the development of Woods and a strong, worthwhile release in itself. Folksy, playful, nostalgic, weird and infectious, Woods’ music contains all of the essential elements of quality pop music without any unnecessary sugarcoating.