The Woods Themselves – (C’mon) Do The Beach Thing

The Woods Themselves – (C’mon) Do The Beach Thing

(C’mon) Do The Beach Thing – The Woods Themselves

by Aidan Roberts

Here we have it – the second album from The Woods Themselves, a sequel to their slow-burning debut album of 2005. Produced by Tony Dupe, once of the famous ‘House by the Sea’ in Gerroa, this isn’t a glamorous or commercial release. What we’re presented with is a catalogue of songs full of understated lyrical ferocity and heavy-hearted intelligence, with more than a hint of the sentiment, and even a glimpse in the artwork and name, of Neil Young’s boiling opus On The Beach. The band’s melodies and textures carry a filmic, small-town American indie aesthetic, sign-posted by tasteful and human arrangements; fubbery Fender guitars, upright pianos, breathy saxes, grinding mellotrons… musically, this is a well-oiled machine in the vein of Yo La Tengo or Pavement. Alas, though, as with the first album, these wonderful songs are let down by Costias’ thin, wavering vocals – feeling much like the actual performance of these terrific melodies and lyrics came as a nervous after-thought rather than an impassioned choice. Still it’s an entertaining listen – but Davey; for the next record, warm up those pipes, and make it a killer.

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