Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s selection, featured on the Afternoon Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Back To The Stone” by Woods from the 2012 album Bend Beyond on Woodsist.
Formed in Brooklyn in 2005, the psychedelic-tinged folk outfit Woods was originally little more than a project for songwriter Jeremy Earl’s home recordings, but the project grew, and by 2009, Woods had grown into a fully-fledged band. Expanded to include bassist Kevin Morby, multi-instrumentalist Jarvis Taveniere, and tape-sampler G. Lucas Crane, the band began to reach the full potential of what Earl’s earliest releases had hinted at. Now on their seventh album and on their own label, Woods are more realized and cohesive than Earl could have ever imagined. Delicately arranged and precisely executed, “Back To The Stone” finds Earl leading the other members of Woods into an echoing chasm of sound. The peak of Earl’s bright voice is augmented by a jangling electric guitar and shimmering acoustic strum, and as the layers swirl into a dizzying crescendo, the band’s pastoral folk reaches its highest point, conjuring a feeling that’s both natural and otherworldly.
Woods just finished up a spell of tour dates with Widowspeak, but they’ll be back on the road in Australia early next year. Keep track of their whereabouts by keeping a tab on their website and Facebook, and watch a live performance of “Bend Beyond” below.
