With Alopecia, art-rap group WHY? released my favourite album
of 2008. That record is devastatingly emotional, radically melodic and
ultimately fresh. While Eskimo Snow is modelled after its predecessor,
it lacks real thrill and inventiveness. Singer Yoni Wolf has totally
abandoned his rap origins for tuneful indie-pop, and the record suffers
from the lack of hip-hop infusion. But the album is not without its
memorable hooks, like the undeniably pretty “This Blackest Purse” and
the meditative “January Twenty Something.” Still, it’s hard not to
regard Eskimo Snow as a step back, even if it’s a solid, enjoyable
listen.
This article appears in Oct 8-14, 2009.