Woods
With Light And With Love

It is said that a second chance should not be denied to anyone and that first impressions deceive. For years, I thought exactly the opposite. Lately, perhaps because of nearing 40, I find myself increasingly agreeing with the above statement.

A glaring example would be the New Yorkers Woods, a band whose “Songs Of Shame” from 2009 I dismissed by listing my shopping list in the last lines of the review. I do not regret what I wrote, that album remains a lo-fi folk country experiment without rhyme or reason, now as then. However, in hindsight, I regret having quickly dismissed them as a one-hit wonder suited for trendy webzines like Pitchfork.

In fact, already with the next album “At Echo Lake”, there were ample signs of improvement, with a decidedly broader chromatic palette and a noteworthy melodic taste. In the following two albums, to date the best ones, Woods found their identity: “Sun And Shade” soaked their country folk in LSD, producing tracks between krautrock and bossa nova. “Bend Beyond” normalized them, while refining their melodic taste, and including at least a couple of tracks that represent the best possible tribute to the electric Neil Young.

“With Light And With Love” follows the same, excellent path as its predecessor: classic country riffs (the opening “Shepherd”) and more heterodox ones (“Full Moon”), with the unmistakable nasal tone of leader Jeremy Earl taking center stage in most tracks (“Only The Lonely”, the final folk of “Feather Man”, the pop song splashed with psychedelia of “New Light”). Interesting are the tracks that depart from these canons: the circular and slightly acidic melody of “Moving To The Left”, and yet another tribute to Crazy Horse, in the 9 minutes of swirling acid guitars, almost Indian raga-like, of the title track.

To be added to the 2014 shopping list.