Josiah Wolf - Jet Lag

Those who unfairly balked at Eskimo Snow’s perceived middle-age spread would do well to skip Why? drummer Josiah Wolf’s first solo effort. Why?’s softening was rewarding, proffering new textures as their sound settled and rested; Jet Lag, by comparison sounds like the same process taken several steps too far. As a refinement of the day-job, this goes beyond spit and polish; Wolf has weathered and eroded Why?’s ornate facets into undistinguished stone. The result is an inconsistent record that meanders anonymously. It doesn’t help that it’s unrelentingly miserable either, Josiah’s lyrics lacking his brother Yoni’s wit (though contemplating the nature of the musky funk conjured in The Apart Meant - “and my apartment smells like divorce” - might raise a smile in the giggle-prone). While there are moments that make its occasional company worthwhile - not least Ohioho’s mellifluousness - its patchiness destines it to be an Anticon footnote. [Chris Buckle]