Yoni Wolf has a pretty extensive discography. His works span well over decade, and he’s collaborated with a huge number of musically brilliant people. WHY?, his most successful endeavor, is an extremely unique species of indie rock. Poetically driven and often delivered with dead pan vocals and lyrics, the tracks blend loads of alternative percussion, driving beats, melancholy and full sounding pianos and guitars. Why?’s mood has a very recognizable sound quality that’s grown throughout their discography while simultaneously holding onto its original feel. Constantly trying new things and going out on bizarre musical limbs, Yoni Wolf is both prolific and experimental, a powerful combination that helps him from stagnating.
Golden Tickets, their brand new EP, is without a doubt their most unconventional release yet. It worked like this — Wolf went out and stalked seven of the most obsessive WHY? fans he could find and composed music about them. The result is a shocking, disjointed blend of songs that are specifically tailored to those fans. Do they go well together? Not really. Are they WHY?‘s best work? No way! But they’re an extremely fresh look at songwriting and artist-fan connections. The songs were created unbeknownst to the subjects and incorporate different tidbits of their lives in the songs. Quirky lyrics are the key to this EP, and while many of the common instrumental elements of WHY? are present, the mood here is on another planet. Wolf approaches his fans in a totally new way, and though it may not be his finest work, it’s certainly a testament to his ability to pioneer and perpetually surprise us even after all these years.
