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Why?

Alopecia
(Anticon)

By Mark Keresman

Published on March 27, 2008

Anybody out there remember the '80s U.K. combo Blue Aeroplanes? They're the closest comparison this critic's strained brain can make to the eclectic, happily hard-to-pigeonhole Oakland band Why? While in no way imitative of Blue Aeroplanes, Why? shares stylistic similarities with them — bright, buoyant, terse indie-rock melodies; distinctive, cozy vocal harmonies; and incredibly sarcastic lyrics alternating with charmingly absurd ones, occasionally delivered in hip-hop fashion. The chorus to the "We Will Rock You"-like opener "The Vowels Pt. 2" goes "cheery-a, cheery-e, cheery-i, cheery-o, cheery-u," with an extra-drawn-out croon on the "u." "Fatalist Palmistry" features sunny Beach Boys harmonies (circa their 20/20 and Sunflower) and a perky jangle-guitar refrain that belies the dark zaniness of the words: "Your cat clawed out my eyes while I was distracted by your smile." Why? moves back and forth between ominous mid-'90s rap and Summer of Love dreaminess on "By Torpedo or Crohn's,"  and whiffs of '70s bubblegum, Philip Glass minimalism, They Might Be Giants loopiness, and garage band DIY abound — this lot isn't too concerned about song placement on Grey's Anatomy. But Why? does juggle creativity, catchiness, and sardonic humor for three-quarters of an hour, and that's a darn good thing.



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