EP to feature contributions from Boards of Canada, Islands, Xiu Xiu, Dntel, Dump and Half-Handed Cloud
WHY? thaws from the icebox with “The Hollows,” the lead single taken from their forthcoming soon to be smash album, Alopecia (set for March 2008 release on anticon.).
“The Hollows” will be released as a 12″ in the US on Anticon on November 19 and will be released in Europe via Tomlab with different B-sides.
Tracklisting:
US:
A1. The Hollows
A2. By Torpedo Or Crohn’s (a remix by Dntel)
B1. Yoyo Bye Bye (a cover by Xiu Xiu)
B2. Pre-teen Apocalyptic Film Acting (Medley) (a cover by Half-handed Cloud)
EU:
A1. The Hollows
A2. Good Friday (a remix by Boards of Canada)
B1. Yoyo Bye Bye (a cover by Dump)
B2. Broken Crow (a cover by Islands)
“The Hollows” finds the boys further realizing their own distinct brand of clever and shimmery pop with the ever crooking subsurface smile we saw solidify on their critically acclaimed 2005 LP, Elephant Eyelash. WHY?’s three main constituents, Yoni Wolf (cLOUDDEAD, Hymie’s Basement, Reaching Quiet), Josiah Wolf, and Doug McDiarmid, are here joined by a notable guest cast including Andrew Broder & Mark Erickson of Fog, Doseone, and Nedelle of the Curtains / Cryptacize. Epicly anthemic, “The Hollows” is proof that WHY? has returned with a vengeance.
Both US and European editions of The Hollows boast three exclusive b-sides. On the American 12″, side A is filled out by a Dntel remix of an unreleased Alopecia track, “By Torpedo Or Crohn’s,” which finds Yoni barking up his most rap cadence in years atop Jimmy Tamborello’s pulsing electronics very much in the vein of his James Figurine material. Side B features friends covering older WHY? material. First up is Xiu Xiu’s unique and dare I say dancey electro take on “Yoyo Bye Bye” from Elephant Eyelash. Closing out the 4-song 12″ is “”Pre-teen Apocalyptic Film Acting” a medley of selected WHY? material by Asthmatic Kitty recording artist, Half-Handed Cloud.
The European version of The Hollows, brought to you by Tomlab, features a remix by Boards of Canada of yet another forthcoming track from Alopecia, “Good Friday.” Side B begins with a cover of “Yoyo Bye Bye” by Dump (James McNew of Yo La Tengo), and lastly we find Islands covering “Broken Crow,” a song from WHY?-offshoot Reaching Quiet’s catalog.