There are certain bands in this supersaturated, hyper-fragmented, temperamental internet era that rise above ephemeral popularity because they deserve it. Woods is one of those bands, and their wheelhouse is a decidedly mellow blend of “campfire folk,” psych, soul, and funk that’s wise beyond its years in timbre and lyric and takes influence from many a surprising source. Woods brings songs into the world that are at once comforting and challenging, and the band’s members take their job as music makers seriously, pumping out nine full-length studio records in the past 10 years and running their own label Woodsist out of Brooklyn.
With over ten years and nine studio records under their belt, Woods joined Third Man Records for a meditative masterclass of a live taping in their Nashville Blue Room this past May, performing to a packed house of loyal fans, happy to go on whatever journey the band had planned for them. (View photos from the show.) Frontman Jeremy Earl’s soul-quieting falsetto stylings are the center of Woods’ sound, in the studio and on this live record. But, the shamanic folk vibes of their earlier records gain an urgency and anxiety here, as they have on their newest release City Sun Eater In The River of Light, thanks to a horn section, African jazz influence, and the clear inspiration of the increasingly chaotic world in which we find ourselves living.
The journey they all took with Woods at the helm on May 2, 2016 has been immortalized now as part of Third Man Records’ Live LP series, and it’s a journey they highly recommend taking in the comfort of your own home – with a glass of your favorite beverage in hand, fire roaring, and mind malleable. Check out “Suffering Season,” an updated version of an older tune that happens to be TMR’s favorite from the 9-song set (as well as particularly poignant to the here and now) below, and pre-order the record (officially available December 9) now.
TRACKLIST:
1. Morning Light
2. Politics of Free
3. Leaves Like Glass
4. Hollow Home
5. Sun City Creeps
6. The Take
7. Suffering Season
8. Call in a Cup
9. Moving to the Left
