Album is another addition to the recent wave of indie records that revisit a more classic pop sound (think 50s and 60s soul/surf/British invasion) through a contemporary lens. Girls find a way to include all these influences from the past without trivializing their own music or sounding like a band that wishes they were from a long gone era. They instead make the songs their own, making the influences more of a reference point than the band’s entire sound. Also adding to Album's contemporary sound are the lyrics and voice of Christopher Owens. His voice sounds honest and familiar, like a friend telling you about his problems. The lyrics are, for the most part, straightforward, no excess of metaphors and convoluted stories. Lines like “I wish I had a suntan/ I wish I had a pizza and a bottle of wine/ I wish I had a beach house/ And we could make a big fire every night” don’t attempt to blow you away with their epic qulaities, but rather feel genuine and relatable. Not to say that Owens strays away from deeper subject matter, but rather approaches them with a beautiful simplicity. The chorus of “Hellhole Ratrace” touches on a very personal theme without over exaggerating the point, “And I don’t want to cry my whole life through/ I want to do some laughing to/ So come on and laugh with me/ And I don’t want to die without shaking up a leg or two/ Yah I want to do some dancing too/ Some come on and dance with me”.

Album has a sound and energy that is truly Californian. Guitars drenched in spring reverb, background vocal oohs and ahhs, and an optimism and outlook on life that can only be found in certain parts of California, San Francisco being one of them. It’s good to know that no matter how many condos and shopping centers are built the spirit of California is still alive somewhere and, thanks to Girls, we have the proof!

-Glenn Jackson

Every new Why? record seems to bring with it a new aesthetic or theme, and Eskimo Snow is no different. Recorded during the same sessions that produced 2008’s Alopecia, Eskimo Snow finds Why? recording songs as a five piece band with Fog’s Andrew Broder and Mark Erickson accompanying the usual trio.

At its most obvious level, Eskimo Snow is a continuation of the modern indie take on classic pop music, shifting Why?’s comparisons more towards Grizzly Bear or Animal Collective than any indie hip-hop band. However, there is an almost intangible something that differentiates Why?’s new record from Veckamist or Merriweather Post Pavilion. Frontman Yoni Wolf has been quoted as saying “This record is really the least hip-hop out of anything I've ever been involved with (Pitchfork Interview, May 2009)" which may be true, but it is Why?’s hip-hop music background/history/influence that makes Eskimo Snow a very unique album. There is a preciseness in the execution of these 10 songs that is completely enthralling. Why? has evolved beyond the looping and sampling of their earlier albums without losing what made albums like Elephant Eyelash and Oaklandazulasylum so cool.

There is a playfulness to the music and lyrics that at times can even make you laugh out loud, but through all this Why? is always in control and can jump into a beautiful crescendo and back with flawless ease. Lyrics like “They say sex will keep you young and make you older at the same time/They say sex will have left you aged normally/So I guess it’s sort of like smoking and walking at the same time/In that it will have left you aged normally” act as the eventual chorus to a song that starts out like their version of a Motown riff. “Berkeley by Hearseback” goes from a rhythmic driving vibraphone beat to a country rap and back, twice! Yoni's creative lyrics and intriguing delivery have only gotten better since beginning Why?, continuing to find a way to keep you chuckling to yourself and scratching your head. Why? has made an honestly unique album that is really a lot of fun to listen to.

-Glenn Jackson