Release Date: 31 May 2011
Song Count: 12
Duration: 44 minutes, 20 seconds
Rating: 6.4/10
Description:
Back on the folk train, Sun and Shade greets us as our next destination to this album-listening journey as the sixth studio LP of the folk band Woods. This bunch of Brooklyn-based musicians have been strumming tunes and creating music since 2005, and this particular album of theirs marks a sort of median point in the band's lifespan, having released five more albums since then and still being very active in the scene. Described as an alternative and psychedelic twist on American folk music with many sorts of guitars dominating the aural palette, Woods' music, and especially Sun and Shade, presents itself as a nostalgia-driven trip that uses a mixture of traditional and modern instruments to paint an emotionally driven mental image meant to resonate with many who lend an ear.
With high-pitched, harmonious vocals vibrating through the air in most tracks and acoustic, twelve-string and electric guitars all taking their turn to run wild all around, the album's contents are organic sounding and resemble the sense of the morning sun gracing one's skin with its bright, warm rays. Switches from cheerful and joyous ambiences to darker, self-reflective and more somber ones are common throughout the runtime, hinting at variation within the music through these ebbs and flows in spite of the general sound of it all staying the same for every track. The instrument use and style does invoke an illusion of nostalgia and timelessness when listening as well, in spite of the contents themselves stemming from contemporary times, and overall a big emphasis on the atmospheric effects on the listener is observable in every step of the way.
Though most certainly a heartfelt project with loads of dedication having gone into it, Sun and Shade's attempts at making its listening experience more unique and less filled with repetition fires back on itself and disrupts the otherwise incredibly cohesive music present without repairing the pitfall it is attempting to remedy. A pleasant listen is definitely provided; however, there isn't much here to spark much deep interest in where things may go next. Still, this is far from an album to gloss over if in the striking zone or mood to explore some American folk music made with passion and care from a band continuing to chase their visions.