All this week, the Song of the Day highlights Levitation Fest artists.
UPDATE: Levitation Fest has been cancelled due to weather concerns. Read more here.
The New York band Woods has crafted its own tightly-curated universe over the past decade. The Woods umbrella now shades everything from Woodsist Records to Woodsist Fest, in addition to nine albums and dozens of tours. Throughout, the group has remained remarkably DIY; Woods’ enterprise is a kindred spirit to the Black Angels’ own band/label/festival hybrid, though on a smaller scale.
But with each album, Woods seems to open up that tent just a bit more. They started out as a ramshackle folk band, and now their music can include everything from psychedelia to reggae without batting an eye. New album City Sun Eater In The River Of Light throws a curveball right out of the gate with “Sun City Creeps.” The song bends back towards Mulatu Astatke, whose experiments with Ethiopian melodies, jazz, and funk are singular, breathing creations. Woods don’t copy him so much as breathe him in. The exhale comes out twisting, caught between the psychedelic and the dancefloor.
Catch Woods on Saturday, April 30 in the Elevation Amphitheatre at 9 p.m. City Sun Eater In The River Of Light is out now via Woodsist.
–Art Levy
