Woodhands: Remorsecapade
Electro-pop duo, Woodhands’ debut album, 2008’s Heart Attack garnered the band accolades like being called one of the “10 Best Bands on Earth” by Q Magazine. On their sophomore album Remorsecapade, the band seeks to continue their success in the new decade.
Musically, Woodhands mix traditional dance production with elements of glitch pop and electroclash. The result is a sound that reminds me of Crystal Castles mixed with Death From Above 1979. The sound is aggressive and ready for a sweat Brooklyn hipster haunt. But there are plenty of bands right now that have that sounds, vocally is where Woodhands’ stands out. The group’s dynamic vocals range from crooning to primal howls. The vocals most remind me of the Von Bondies but lead singer Dan Werb has the ability to get in your face as well. On tracks like “Coolchazine”, he channels his inner Blood Brothers to give the track a little extra oomph.
The album’s opening track “Pockets” is probably the most representative of the band’s sound. The track’s basis are the dance keyboards that are backed by live drums. The sound is reminiscent of something off of the Faint‘s Danse Macabre.
The second half of Remorsecapade drops off a bit. The band channels their inner Postal Service to produce the duds “I Want To Be Together” and “When The Party Is Over” which close the album.
Closing on a down note really does ruin the ethos the album was building. But even beyond that, the album is only 10 tracks and one of those tracks is an outro. So to end with two kind of throw away tracks really takes down the album’s potency. Remorsecapade starts off like a classic but its ending leaves it mired in mediocrity, however I need to stress the album really does have some great jams on it.
Rating: 4.7/10
MP3: Woodhands “Pockets”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!
Woodhands: Remorsecapade
