‰ÛÏWisdom comes with age, so it‰۪s no surprise that Woods haveåÊgrown more sage in the twelve years since they formed, expandingåÊfrom sylvan drum circles into increasingly elaborate, transcendentåÊpsychedelia.‰ ‰ÛÓPitchfork
‰ÛÏWe walked down streets and crammed onto trains, our faces masks ofåÊfear. Unsure how to react, we, collectively, did not react. We grievedåÊfor a country and an ideal we never thought would die. We grieved foråÊa loss of certainty.åÊWe argued about what we thought would happen. We preached understanding.åÊWe advocated for anger. Some people said that we‰۪d atåÊleast get some incredible art, other people said that was a small viewåÊof a world we were quickly realizing we‰۪d misunderstood. EveryoneåÊwas right. Everyone was wrong. Art made in precarious times mattersåÊas much as we let it matter.
But what are we looking for from the art we enjoy? Escapism? AåÊreckoning with harsh reality? A temporary shared hallucination? MusicåÊcan heal because it presents the pain of being human as universal.åÊLove Is Love was written and recorded in the two monthsåÊimmediately following the election, but it‰۪s not a record borne entirelyåÊof angry, knee-jerk reaction to what America is becoming. Instead,åÊit‰۪s a meditation on love, and on what life means now. Taking cuesåÊfrom last year‰۪s City Sun Eater In The River Of Light, it feels veryåÊmuch like a record made from living, shoulder to shoulder, in a majoråÊcity: weaving psychedelic swirls of guitar between languid hornsåÊreminiscent of the best Ethiopian jazz‰ÛÓLove is Love is a distinctlyåÊNew York record. It is a document of protest in uncertain times andåÊan open-hearted rejection of cynicism in favor of emotional honesty. ItåÊis bright, and then, unexpectedly, a little dark sometimes too.åÊThere will be parts of life where we will watch as events unfold andåÊwe will feel helpless. We will not be sure of the future. On good days,åÊwe‰۪ll have each other. On the bad ones, we‰۪ll turn to the art that helpsåÊus feel something. Love is Love is a document of the new world weåÊlive in, proof that light can come from despair and hope is still possible.åÊWe just need a little help remembering it exists.‰åʉÛÓSam Hockley-Smith