These nine tracks reveal Erik Schmall’s lo-fi bedroom aesthetic. Many of the tracks rely on the simple combination of Schmall’s acoustic guitar and indie-pop vocal melodies. This simple approach is reasonably appealing, although I find that the more processed tunes such as “Stale Males”, in which the proceedings are run through a modest flange effect, are a bit more interesting. The primary difficulty I had with Roar is that the songs feel short; while economy of notes is important, the brevity of Schmall’s compositions makes them feel either rushed or cast off. There are some good ideas here, and I hope that in the future Schmall takes the time to explore them more thoroughly. — rd

http://www.splendidezine.com/reviews/aug-20-01/aag.html#aag33

http://www.indieville.com/old/revwoodywhatroar.htm

This ep, on the wonderful Ionik Records label, collects nine short songs by the very diy-influenced Erik Schmall (under the pseudonym Woody Whatever). The recording level is delightfully unprofessional, and many songs, such as “Salute to Classical Music” feature quite a bit of tape hiss. Fortunately, the production quality never seems to interfere with the music, instead making it sound more like a musical artifact. This is a very pop-based affair, as songs such as “Stale Males” are actually quite reminiscent of bands like Pavement (except much more amateurish and experimental). On the other hand, “On Your Way To” sounds like it belongs on an oldies collection, despite the poor recording quality. This ep represents a nice variety of pop songs, using a mixture of spacey, slow pieces, as well as excited, energetic ones. Rest assured, listen to this once and you’ll probably get some of these tunes stuck in your head immediately. As for influences, this ep seems to be quite similar to music by bands such as Smog, Pavement, Guided By Voices, and perhaps even some Modest Mouse. As well, the lo-fi, home-produced aspect of it does not detract from it’s beauty, but rather adds to it. But, I would still really like to see what Woody Whatever could do if he was given the chance to have his music professionally recorded and produced. DIY indie fans, you’ll eat this up.

82%

Top Tracks: “Let a Saw In,” “Calculated Confusion,” “I Won’t Last”