Woods: Songs of Shame

Label: Shrimper

Words will never quite be enough for Woods. Not to suggest this Brooklyn outfit is The. Greatest. Thing. Ever!, just that when I tell you Songs of Shame is a collection of ramshackle floaty folk-rock songs, you won’t quite be able to grasp the spackle in their ramshackle, the vibe of their float, the worn-in alrightness of their lazily brilliant approach. That “dancing about architecture” crack applies only when music is actually art, is what I’m try’na tellya here—and Songs of Shame rates. It is psychedelic in nature, if not always in sound. And through this lousy year on Earth the record stayed cool when it was hot, warm when it was cold, giving your mind reason and license to wander. In fact, it was great to see this band enjoy a bit of deserved hype in 2009. Go out on a limb with the short and bittersweet “Born to Lose,” as well as “Down This Road” and the protracted simmer of “September with Pete,” which features righteous hombre Pete Nolan of Magik Markers and Spectre Folk. (M.L. Thrope)