Welcome Home 'Diggin' The Universe' A Woodsist Compilation -V/A (Woodsist)

A tape collection from the Woodsist label is either a must have purchase for you or just another standard of the recent lo-fi zeitgeist. I am personally in the former camp for the majority of this tape and having recently fallen in love with label owner Jeremy Earls own band Woods through 2009's semi-breakthrough Lp 'Songs of Shame', I am glad to have a new tune kick off this nice piece of black plastic. The high pitch Neil Young-esque vocals suck me in as do the warmth of the recordings, with great simple pop songs that glue themselves to my mind using stripped back acoustics and hand clapped percussion.

Run DMT play a warped and delicious psych pop that could be lifted from an unknown Olivia Tremor Control record. Elephant 6 revivalism already? The heaviness of White Fences sends shocks with some dirty organs and squalling guitar whilst the Fresh & Onlys effort maintains their pedigree whilst also chasing the Dan Melchiors,Thee Oh Sees & Ty Segall's for the title of amount of records released each year.

I'm new to The Mantles and Skygreen Leopards and enjoy them both, whilst Alex Bleeker goes alone without his Freaks or Real Estate to finish off this first side nicely.

The biggest surprise to this Woodsist Comp. tape for me is liking the Moon Duo song, loving even. I'm not a fan of Wooden Shjips and their psych-prog wig outs, but the bass led riff on the Moon Duo track is great, totally not what i expected at all from them.

City Center don't offend, but don't enthrall either, whilst Cause Co Motion take things up a notch wit their jaunty anglophile messy indie punk before rolling through into new boys Art Museums whose 80's synth and guitar brand of pop sounds like a Captured Tracks band with an affinity to emotionally sappy songs that fill each and every John Hughes teen classic.

Nodzzz Lp and 2 x 7" are always up high in my play lists so a new track is very welcome with 'Old Clothes' having a much rawer live recording sound, but song wise, it could have come from any of their releases. I don't expect grand departures with Nodzzz, and I'm sure disappointment would only follow an Animal Collective style change in direction, so the same great guitar pop songs keeps on pleasing.

Finishing up the tape is a Ducktails song that removes the swirling keyboard melodies and summer repetition we are used to and goes with an acoustic guitar piece that sounds more like Matt's other day job as guitarist for Real Estate, just minus band. I could really do with a lot more of this type of Ducktails songs, incredible.

I'm sure this tape will sell out in seconds as do most things on Fuck It Tapes/Woodsist but i know it will soon drop as a nice piece of vinyl, definitely an essential '2010 purchase.


Tracklist

Woods - I'm Not Gone
Run DMT - Richard
White Fences - The Love Between
The Fresh & Onlys - Heel Toe
The Mantles - Bad Movies
Skygreen Leopards - Catch
Alex Bleeker - Gettin By

Moon Duo - A Little Way Different
City Center - Box of Rain
Cause Co-Motion - Over U
Art Museums - Darling Are You Out Of Your League Again
Nodzzz - Old Clothes
Ducktails - Sun Out My Window

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