WHY? - The Lexical Contortionist

I'm imagining us playing in front of dinosaurs. An off the cuff remark from Why?'s founding maestro Yoni Wolf, contemplating a show they're soon to play in support of their new album Alopecia at the LA Natural History Museum, has the same effect on the imagination as his lyrics do. While the scenario is completely unreal, the image is so vivid in the mind and the emotions evoked so strong, it somehow becomes completely believable.

The words that accompany Why?'s music are reminiscent of artists like Pavement, and maybe less obviously so, Underworld. Karl Hyde of Underworld records conversations obsessively, something Wolf admits to doing in the past. "I used to go round with a Dictaphone too, I just used to find it interesting to listen back to discussions. I think I have an obsessive nature like that." When questioned about the process of lyric writing, he seems reticent to talk too deeply and suggests that "a small set of words just clicks, something that I see or imagine just sticks, and I'll string them together afterwards." Clearly, linear narrative isn't a tool that Wolf feels is essential to creating thought-provoking lyrics; each sentence can create a tableau that stands alone in the mind, and that's enough. "That's how life is, little glimpses that give you a feeling," he saliently points out.

As with any lyrics, interpretation is a very individual activity, and there's a danger that they'll end up in the wrong ears. But this isn't something that seems to worry Wolf; "Once it's out there, it's public property, you hope that people can relate to what you're saying. I think if you are a good writer they do." That said, there does seem to be some concern regarding whether or not, people 'get' what Why? do. "By get it, I don't mean some kind of linear story, but that they get the same feeling as when you wrote it. More do than I had imagined would; I think I'm such a stranger, but people do seem to understand."

Video: Why - Song of the Sad Assassin

During his career, up until the point that 'he' became 'they', Why? collaborated on a number of ventures, both as a fulltime member (cLOUDEAD / Hymie's Basement) and as a guest on numerous Anticon releases. With such collaborative ubiquity, it's funny to hear him say he sometimes struggles with that approach, but ultimately he's pragmatic about the benefits. "You have to let a part of yourself go, and as someone who is a very particular person, I find it very difficult. But while it may not be what you would have done by yourself, it may be better because someone else had a hand in it."

Although Wolf may be slightly ill-at-ease working with others, with the release of recent EP, The Hollows, he was willing to turn his music over to a number of artists including experimental indie outfit XiuXiu and Scottish ambient techno legends Boards of Canada. While they're all a safe bet in his eyes - "I know if I hand over files to Boards of Canada, I'm going to like what they do. Give something to XiuXiu and you know they will fuck it up beyond anything you thought it could be" - the remit varied; some covered, and some remixed the work. For the former this was a nice pre-emptive tactic for Wolf to bypass the terror of 'will the cover version work' by picking the bands he wanted to do it. "It was really exciting, waiting to see where the artists I respect so much took it. A couple of them at first weirded me out, but there is something to be said for that feeling, as I kept listening, and all of them I really like."

With such a varied musical palette, you'd struggle not to find something exciting in Why?'s body of work. Alopecia is a coherent statement of intent as to where the California-based trio's music is heading. But it always comes back to the words. Each track has the tenderest, darkest and most candid scenes randomly picked from the shredded scripts of films that have yet to be made. And as long as Why? are going strong they'll probably never need to be.