Whip - Timesbold
(Blackbean & Placenta)
Let's play a game! Name as many bands or musicians as you can that have
been compared to Will "Bonnie Billie" Oldham? Let's see....Bill "Smog"
Callahan, Jason "Songs: Ohia" Molina....okay, nevermind.
I know that a lot of reviewers will probably write "Whip is just another
Will Oldham type band." And, to be honest, I can't blame them. It's
an easy comparison, and I guess I will do that too. I love to draw
comparisons to help the reader know what types of bands another band is
similar to. However, to say that Whip is just another Oldham
impersonator would really sell Mr. Merritt and his band short.
The EP is mostly acoustic guitar with J. Merritt's raw and honest
voice. With the help of his band (using piano, organ, violin, and banjo)
he is able to create some amazing and beautifully fragile songs. In
"Severed Lips," Merritt implies that while he knows what he is feeling
might sound trite, it is still how he really feels, singing "but i don't
need it, all i need is you. Ain't that fucking cute?"
Anyone who enjoys the more acoustic Palace/Oldham stuff will enjoy J.
Merritt's recordings enough to forget the similarities to other bands
and notice all that there is that makes him and his band wonderfully
unique.
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