Für Fans von: Indie & Alternative, Rock, und Folk & Blues.
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Initially began as a solo project, Jeremy Earl started making music under the moniker of Woods in 2005. Woods aced as an opportunity to refresh Earl’s songwriting outside of Meneguar’s indie-rock fare, focusing on acoustic instrumentation and a lo-fi, psych-addled folk sound.
His debut release was the double-cassette “How to Survive In/In The Woods,” on Fuckittapes. Earl went on to record prolifically in the following years, releasing new music at regular intervals. In 2007, the 7” single, “Ram,” a second album in “At Rear House,” and the CD reissue of “How to Survive In/In The Woods,” were all released that same year, on Earl’s own label, Woodsist. “Family Creeps” followed the year after, signalling a change in sound and lineup after Earl expanded his solo project to include Jarvis Taveniere and G. Lucas Crane.
Woods’ fourth release appeared in 2009, titled “Songs of Shame,”an album that broke Woods into a larger audience after been selected by Pitchfork as ‘Best New Music.’ “At Echo Lake” was Woods’ next effort, that featured new member Kevin Morby on bass in 2010, with Earl and the boys not waiting long before unleashing their next collection of new material, “Sun and Shade” the next year.
With the added members, Woods moved from its gentle solo acoustic tone to a more electrified roots-rock reminiscent of Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Aaron Neveu joined on drums, providing extra rhythmic interest. In 2012, they joined with Amps for Christ on a split-LP, helping to build anticipation for their fifth full-length, “Bend Beyond,” which appeared later that same year. In 2014, Woods were back once again and “With Love and With Light” they were even more polished and refined than before.
Jeremy Earl’s Woods are quite the prolific band. Only in existence since 2005 they’ve already clocked up around eight studio albums of lo-fi, often shambolic indie rock that, slowly but surely over the years, has sounded more mature and cleaner, culminating in this year’s marvellous (and very well produced) 'With Light and Love.' Earl is a song writer with a wonderful ear for a melody and while his high and slightly off-kilter voice takes some time to get used to, it’s perfectly suited for the songs he’s writing. Influenced as much by the likes of Graham Nash, Bob Dylan and folk music as they are by acts like Flaming Lips, Woods’ music draws from a rich lineage of American music and so they’re capable of writing songs that’ll stay in your brain for days on end. You’re likely to catch them live at their very own Woodsist Festival as anywhere, but when you do you’ll be treated to the gentle folk strum of "Rain On," the meandering guitar jams of "Bend Beyond" and the eastern tinged "I Was Gone," plus the muscular new pop sounds of a song like "Moving to the Left," which shows off Earl’s new found confidence in his singing voice. Often lost in the music, Woods might forget there’s an audience watch them, but there’s nothing wrong with that – let them get on with playing, and you can get on enjoying watching it all.