How sad, and what a waste. There is so much potential that Erik Schmall presents with his pop rock group. But much of it is squandered by the use of programming that steals its thunder. On the songs where it’s used to a minimum, like “Drive An Uncle Through the Mountains” and “I Booked a Flight”, the songs are fun and strong. On most of the others, where it’s drowned in bleep and bloops, or that tinny beat, such as “When You Get Home” and “Jesus Kill These Bombs”, well for me, it’s practically unlistenable. Again, this is a shame, because I could have really enjoyed this CD. The songs themselves are good, and the production is fine (though the vocals need to be more up front). RBF
August 5th, 2009
Slightly Confusing to a Stranger reviews The Great Pop (2005)
Now this is some catchy goodness – Woody Whatever! I’d send (a copy that is – I’m keeping my own) this one to any of my friends who ever mentioned a love for the Twin Atlas (hear: “Drive an Uncle Through the Mountains:), a head nod towards Mazarin or a general fascination with duos that make sounds a band of five wished they could. Handclaps*, harmonies (”I Booked a Flight”) and a steady flow of casio-tinged beats – Woody Whatever are rockin’ the proper set of influences from the past 30 years. I’m guessing there are some Zombies, a few Beach Boys and maybe even some Danzig GBV laying around the house. The notes contained in this eleven-song player reveal two Ohio!ans with the last name Schmall – so be it brotherly love or just a really bizarre series of pairings, this album is to be cherished and enjoyed over fancy drinks and choice snacks. Woody Whatever may be the last American band, you won’t have to worry about drawing comparisons to Radiohead, ’cause it’s likely they haven’t even heard of Thom Yorke & Co.. If you do get into discussion with front Woody Erik Schmall, bring up the Action – that’s where the love begins. Yes – The Great Pop indeed. If you’ll excuse me – there’s a Woody Whatever back catalog that needs me to find it. *Those NOT in favor (bastard) of a healthy dose of “electronic handclaps” may want to steer clear of this one – but I wouldn’t advise missing The Great Pop no matter what your preference. Yep.
August 5th, 2009
Utter Trash reviews The Great Pop (2005)
If you are a fan of Hayden, Beck, The Eels, or other lo-fi popsters, you will for sure love Woody Whatever. They have an infectious pop sound that derives from acoustic guitars, drum machines, and dueling harmonies. This 11 song record is raw and full of emotions. From the upbeat opener “Drive An Uncle Through Mountains” to the Red House Painters-esque “I Booked A Flight”, these guys have a good variety to their music. The record doesn’t get dull with songs that blend together; each song has its own identity. Standouts here are “I Was Afraid” and “Stephani”, but really, all the songs are pretty solid. I highly recommend this one. If you’re interested, you can actually get this from Amazon.com. (Eddie Fleisher)
August 5th, 2009
HybridMagazine reviews The Great Pop (2005)
Ronald: Very cool indie-techno-folk-pop. Like Beck performing Euro-synth pop on happy pills accompanied by Air.
Jimmy: British influenced rock, very diversified, which is refreshing. Generally simplistic pop.
Gerald: Britpop type of sound – heavy on the synth. Hard to pin down
August 5th, 2009
AmericanaUK reviews The Great Pop (2005)
At first listen this record it sounds like some spotty 15 year old playing his first bunch of songs in his bedroom, a strummed acoustic, a drum machine, and thin reverby vocals. After a while the amateurish charm and tinny sound is fooling nobody, there are some songs here that could be described as really quite good. Since the band, founded by Erik Schmall in 2001, is from Dayton Ohio, the Guided By Voices influence is not surprising. So we get short snappy lo-fi pop songs with eccentric titles, like the opener “Drive An Uncle Through The Mountains”, followed by “Jesus Kill These Bombs” which at times sounds like a popped up version of the Junior Murvin/Clash classic “Police And Thieves.” There’s a way to go before things get to the GBV level, but considering Erik is only in his early 20s, on this evidence that could actually happen! PW (6 out of 10)
August 5th, 2009
Kindamuzik reviews The Great Pop (2005) (Dutch)
The Great Pop van Woody Whatever schijnt het meest ambitieuze project van de broertjes Erik en Jeremy Schmall uit Dayton, Ohio te zijn. Nou kennen we de eerdere platen van deze jongens niet, maar ik weet niet of we veel gemist hebben.
De band zegt geïnspireerd te zijn door de vroege Guided By Voices, maar we horen er in hun muziek niet veel van terug. Het zijn eerder vroege demo’s van The Clash ten tijde van Sandinista! of de nog onbedorven UB40 die we in de muziek van Woody Whatever terughoren. Jammer genoeg klinken maar een paar nummers goed genoeg om deze vergelijking te doorstaan. De songs intrigeren, zijn origineel en lijken een belofte te doen: “Beluister ons nog een keer en je zult versteld staan.” Maar als we dat doen, vallen ze nogal tegen.
We horen een beat uit een drumcomputertje, clapping, een geinig orgeldeuntje, een slordig slaggitaartje en een redelijke, maar ook wat rommelige zang. Het is lofi, dat is niet erg. Het is niet erg goed gespeeld, dat is niet zo heel erg. Het is los zand, dat is wel erg. Geen kern, geen visie, alsof de songs nog niet helemaal af zijn. Een handvol rock-, pop-, reggea- en skasongs die oké zijn en wel lekker wegluisteren, meer niet.
De teksten zijn wel prima: zwartgallig, kritisch en origineel. Titels als ‘Just Enough Rope for you’ en ‘Jesus Kill These Bombs’ geven een beetje weer wat we daarmee bedoelen. ‘Jesus Kill These Bombs’ is de single en wel een echt goede song. Sandinista! maar weer eens luisteren misschien?
Tekst: John Min
http://www.kindamuzik.net/reviews/article.shtml?id=9179
August 5th, 2009
Pop Child reviews The Great Pop (2005) (Spanish)
Nos deslizamos hasta los limites del interior del continente americano para toparnos con un paisaje que si bien es árido, despierta en nosotros cierta emoción, quizás provocada por la luz anaranjanada que se filtra a través de las cortinas de nuestro cuarto provinente de los rayos del sol, o quizás porque nos hemos traído en nuestro viaje nuestra vieja y roída guitarra, y algunos de los discos clasificados en la estantería de nuestra casa como los mejores álbumes lo-fi pop editados en los últimos años. Entre estos se encuentra el trabajo de una formación de Ohio precisamente, llamada Woody Whatever. Su “The Great Pop”, rezuma melodías de buen pop retozando en el lo-fi más auténtico.
Woody Whatever, es el proyecto de Erik Schmall, un joven compositor, amante de la música en general, y de The Beatles y de Guided By Voices específicamente. Aunque sus composiciones tengan un paralelismo con algunas de las bandas comentadas en popchild hace varias semanas como Ojee o Professor Pez. Schmall impregna sus canciones de sonoridades que juegan con el pop, el indie, el lo-fi y el folk a partes iguales. Decorando sus estribillos con coros susurrantes y voces espontáneas, que hacen de su trabajo algo tan divertido como hermoso. Incluyendo también pequeños aparatos electrónicos a un conjunto de guitarras acústicas y bases rítmicas que hacen de “The Great Pop” un trabajo de matices muy interesantes.
El disco, de una media hora total de duración, está compuesto por once temas. Empieza con “Drive an Uncle Through The Mountains”, en un tono de voz más agudo que el resto del disco, que se desarrolla como un despierto canto a una imagen folkloricamente cotidiana. Para posteriormente pasar a “Jesus Kill These Bombs”, algo más pausado y totalmente folky, compuesta por Jeremy Schmall, su hermano, que conforma el otro cincuenta por ciento de la banda, y que lo acompaña a las voces, en esta ya empieza a introducirnos algunos sonidos pre-grabados en cajas de ritmos como aplausos, órganos y demás. El disco sigue con “Just Enough Rope For You”, en el que los sonidos sixties son más evidentes, en un estribillo basado en palmadas y el fluir de la acústica. Le sigue “When You Get Home”, que la podríamos llegar incluso a clasificar como “postalserviciana”, ensoñadora y emotiva. Después encontramos “Cherry Fountains”, “In perfect order” y “I’ve Been Afraid”, donde las voces siguen guardando su importancia, así como los ritmos que la acompañan. “Nevermind” es la más acústica de todas, sonando casi a grabación en directo, así como también ocurre con “I Booked A Flight”, pero esta vez sobreponiéndolas. El disco se cierra con “Careers (Just Cose Anyone)” que viene a ser como una parábola divertida de las obligaciones para con uno mismo, y “Stephani”, porque no podía faltar la canción de amor a una adorada persona en un disco tan redondo como este, no?.
En definitiva, un disco para aquellos amantes de las cosas echas con más cariño que medios, que casualmente son las que mejor salen a veces. Y editado por el sello que ha publicado los trabajos de otras bandas como Spectacular Fantastic o The Haywards, de los que son amigos y compañeros.
http://www.popchild.com/viewArt.php?id_articulo=2030&id_tipo=1
August 5th, 2009
When I Lost I Left makes Indieville Best of 2003
Neat Find: We must also mention Woody Whatever’s When I Lost I Left album, released in a handmade edition of 50 copies on Blod Records. Indie pop this catchy doesn’t come around all that often, especially for three bucks a pop.
August 5th, 2009
Delusions of Adequacy reviews When I Lost I Left (2004)
Woody Whatever’s When I Lost, I Left is composed of post-REM jangle, Weezer-esque mood, and quirky punk-inflected vocals, all pulled off with a bright-shiny happiness that makes you forget this is a self-produced, low-fi recording. The opener “Get Inside My Life” is one of the best songs on the album, as it is a prime example of their surprisingly catchy “early 90s meets today” sound. The catchiness is delivered by Erik Schmall’s wispy yet secure vocals, which fit perfectly with this quirky, upbeat music. Unfortunately, there are a few times where they fall dangerously out of key, don’t gel with the music, and are generally harsh on the ears. Thankfully, these songs are a tiny minority. The jangly lead guitar is not a minority on this album, as they delight in a Cake-like emptiness to their sound throughout most of this album.
There are certain exceptions, as in the California-ized rock of “For Beautiful Nothing,” a beautiful foray into keys on “Ginger Suicides,” which is another highlight on the album, the nearly 70s rock of “Citizens Be Warned.” But for sure the oddest track is the stark, keyboard-lead title track, which is 50% silence (you’d have to hear it to understand). The lyrics here are brilliant, tackling social ills in a style that is subtle to the max. Upon reading them, you can catch a glimpse of what they’re trying to say, but it takes some thought to decipher some of these lyrics. There are also some love songs, lost love songs, and other teenage rants, but there is some true talent inherent in these lyrics. The most haunting moment of the album comes when Schmall desperately relates “We’re human! We’re human! Tell Everyone!” during the aptly titled “Tell Everyone.”
This lo-fi rock album has many highlights, but it also has some low points. It features at least one song that I will replay in a cycle of “This song’s cool-I love this song-It’s my favorite song ever-I hate this song-OK I REALLY HATE THIS SONG” (that would be “Get Inside My Life”). A limited release through Blod Records (only 50 records, oddly enough), this will be enjoyed immensely by fans of great indie rock/pop.
http://www.adequacy.net/review.php?reviewid=3800
August 5th, 2009
Indieville reviews When I Lost I Left (2003)
Woody Whatever’s I Lost I Left album is Blod’s first non-compilation release, and in true Blod tradition each copy is uniquely hand-packaged. This time around each CDR comes in a neat cardboard slot with various stuff glued on to it. Cool.Woody Whatever, in case you are not aware, is the band led by Erik Schmall, an indie pop musician from Dayton, Ohio. His early CDR, the Roar EP was a big hit here at Indieville, and this album has been anticipated with baited breath. When I Lost I Left does not disappoint. Even though it isn’t an ultimately perfect or creative album, it’s still one of the most wonderfully infectious and enjoyable discs to pass through here in a long while. Schmall’s penchant for catchy, memorable melodies is very obvious here; some of these songs remind me of the primal brilliance of old Guided By Voices recordings.There are a few duds on When I Lost I Left. “Long Walks Instead of Alcohol,” for example, is a bizarrely flat pop tune, and “Go Away” is a bit boring and repetitive. But that’s to be expected from a debut album, and for the most part these songs are very good. Highlights include the beautifully sorrowful “And Nothing Since is Clear,” bouncy pop number “Tell Everyone,” and terrific finale “Citizens be Warned.” Woody Whatever has created an immensely enjoyable indie pop album. The music’s great, the packaging is superb, and at a mere three dollars postage paid, you can’t go wrong. But act quickly, as only fifty copies have been made! 86% Matt Shimmer
