Aokohio

by Why?

Overview

Part nerdy underground hip-hop, part brightly melodic indie rock, and part synthy art rock, Why? have existed in a class of their own since transitioning from the solo project of rapper/bandleader Yoni Wolf into a full band in 2004. Sixth album Aokohio continues Wolf and company's genre-bucking stylization in the form of 19 short, splintered songs loosely arranged under six larger themes. Where death, family, and existential confusion have loomed on most Why? records, Aokohio takes on a particularly nostalgic perspective. The truncated songs can consist of anything from found-sound field recordings of a child's birthday party (the 45-second "The Rash"), bursts of horns and sharp rhymes ("High Dive"), or something more in line with the complex arrangements of earlier Why? albums (the buoyant and reaching "Peel Free"). The brevity of most of the songs gives the album an unfinished, hanging feeling, with some songs finishing before they really get off the ground. Contributions from Chicago songwriters/vocalists LaLa LaLa and Gia Margaret fit this fragmented approach as well, as they drop in as a ghostly choir for a few bars of "The Crippled Physician," adding texture but not occupying the usual space of a featured guest. This type of experimenting is nothing new from Wolf, who as recently as 2013 recorded a concept EP of songs about seven Why? super fans. The quick changes can be jarring, but by the middle of Aokohio, the staggered flow begins to normalize and the album becomes an environment of short attention spans and choppy reflections. Rather than the sometimes-crushing statements of earlier albums, the weight of Wolf's heavy lyrics is softened by how quickly one idea blurs into the next. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	08/30/2019
Label:	JOYFUL NOISE RECORDS
UPC:	0753936904125

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Why?   Primary Artist
Kate Wakefield   Cello
Grace Weir   Cello
Gia Margaret   Voices
Lillie West   Voices
Marty Mars   Voices
Stephen Gurewitz   Sampling
Andrew Broder   Sampling,Synthesizer
Yoni Wolf   Bass,Drums,Piano,Voices,Sampling
Doug McDiarmid   Bass,Piano,Synthesizer
Josiah Wolf   Drums,Piano,Guitar,Sampling,Percussion
Joe Westerlund   Drums
Adam Schatz   Saxophone
Matt Meldon   Guitar
David McDonnell   Saxophone,Contra-Alto Clarinet
Peter Foley   Synthesizer
David Cohn   Voices
Nick Sanborn   Drums,Sampling
Miles Joris-Peyrafitte   Sampling
Liz Wolf   Voices
Christian Lee Hutson   Voices
Felix Walworth   Voices
Oliver Kalb   Voices
Claire Whitcomb   Viola,Violin
Jonnie Baker   Guitar,Sampling,Saxophone,Synthesizer
Ofir Klemperer   Trombone
Gabby Smith   Voices

Technical Credits

Gabby Smith   Engineer
Grace Weir   Artwork
Lillie West   Engineer
Marty Mars   Mixing
Andrew Broder   Cut
Pete Lyman   Mastering
Yoni Wolf   Mixing,Artwork,Engineer
Doug McDiarmid   Cut,Engineer
Josiah Wolf   Mixing,Composer,Engineer
David Woodruff   Artwork
Adam Schatz   Engineer
Jonathan Wolf   Composer
Matt Meldon   Sounds
Peter Foley   Engineer
Michael Wolf   Video Stills
Josh Berg   Mixing
Amelia Meath   Additional Production
David Cohn   Engineer
Nick Sanborn   Engineer,Additional Production
Wolf Bros.   Producer
Dave Vettraino   Engineer
Marshall Vore   Engineer
Nicholas Papaleo   Engineer
Oliver Kalb   Engineer