Eskimo Snow

Eskimo Snow
Studio album by
Why?
ReleasedSeptember 22, 2009 (2009-09-22)
Recorded2007
GenreIndie rock
Length35:40
LabelAnticon
Producer
Why? chronology
Almost Live from Eli's Live Room
(2008) 		Eskimo Snow
(2009) 		Sod in the Seed
(2012)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The A.V. ClubB−[3]
Clash8/10[4]
Cokemachineglow70/100[5]
Exclaim!favorable[6]
Pitchfork6.9/10[7]
PopMatters[8]
The Skinny[9]
Slant Magazine[10]
XLR8R8/10[11]

Eskimo Snow is the fourth[12] studio album by American band Why?.[13] It was released by Anticon on September 22, 2009.[8]

Production

The album was recorded in February 2007.[14] When asked to compare it to his previous albums, Yoni Wolf said: "This record, Eskimo Snow, is really the least hip-hop out of anything I've ever been involved with. I mean, they feel like song-songs with-- I don't want to say a typical verse-chorus structure, but they're song-songs."[15]

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Eskimo Snow received an average score of 76% based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[1]

Marisa Brown of AllMusic gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, calling it "a dynamic, nearly poppy record that finds lead singer Yoni Wolf slightly less verbose and esoteric than in the past."[2] She added, "Eskimo Snow is a success, a resilient album that combines melody, abstract references, and intelligent introspection in equal parts into something that grows more and more compelling the more times it's heard."[2] Josiah Hughes of Exclaim! said, "Eskimo Snow sees Why? losing some of their previous intensity for quieter, albeit deeply layered, pop structures."[6]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."These Hands"Jonathan Wolf1:47
2."January Twenty Something"Jonathan Wolf2:24
3."Against Me"Jonathan Wolf5:12
4."Even the Good Wood Gone"Doug McDiarmid, Jonathan Wolf, Josiah Wolf4:19
5."Into the Shadows of My Embrace"Jonathan Wolf4:35
6."One Rose"Doug McDiarmid, Jonathan Wolf, Josiah Wolf3:53
7."On Rose Walk, Insomniac"Jonathan Wolf2:08
8."Berkeley by Hearseback"Doug McDiarmid, Matt Meldon, Jonathan Wolf, Josiah Wolf3:40
9."This Blackest Purse"Doug McDiarmid, Jonathan Wolf5:16
10."Eskimo Snow"Jonathan Wolf2:29

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

  • Yoni Wolf – music
  • Josiah Wolf – music
  • Doug McDiarmid – music
  • Andrew Broder – music
  • Mark Erickson – music
  • Jeremy Ylvisaker – additional contributions
  • Andrew McDiarmid – additional contributions
  • Mark Nevers – additional contributions, mixing
  • Eli Crews – mixing
  • Mike Wells – mastering
  • Ms. Indigo Sweats – artwork
  • Phoebe Streblow – photography
  • Sam Flax Keener – layout

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[16] 20
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[17] 44

References

  1. ^ a b "Eskimo Snow by Why?". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Brown, Marisa. "Eskimo Snow - Why?". AllMusic. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  3. ^ Mincher, Chris (September 29, 2009). "Why?: Eskimo Snow". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  4. ^ Jones, Francis (October 2, 2009). "Why? - Eskimo Snow". Clash. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  5. ^ McGowan, Colin (August 28, 2009). "WHY?: Eskimo Snow". Cokemachineglow. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Hughes, Josiah (September 22, 2009). "Why? - Eskimo Snow". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  7. ^ Cohen, Ian (September 25, 2009). "WHY?: Eskimo Snow". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Britt, Thomas (October 1, 2009). "Why?: Eskimo Snow". PopMatters. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  9. ^ Buckle, Chris (September 18, 2009). "WHY? - Eskimo Snow". The Skinny. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  10. ^ McBee, Wilson (September 22, 2009). "Why?: Eskimo Snow". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  11. ^ Reynaldo, Shawn (September 22, 2009). "WHY? - Eskimo Snow". XLR8R. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  12. ^ Diver, Mike. "BBC - Music - Review of Why? - Eskimo Snow". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  13. ^ Grandy, Eric (September 22, 2009). "Why? - Eskimo Snow". The Stranger. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  14. ^ Breihan, Tom (May 29, 2009). "WHY?'s Yoni Wolf Reveals New Album: Eskimo Snow". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  15. ^ Breihan, Tom (July 21, 2009). "WHY? Reveal Album Details, Tour". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  16. ^ "Why? Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  17. ^ "Why? Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2017.