Talk about a lack of subtlety! “Happy Today,” the first song on Long Grain Rights, is as instantly addictive as a shot of heroin, and it sets a pretty high standard for the rest of the album. The song is catchy as all get-out; with its loud strummy acoustic guitar and happy, upbeat singing, there’s no reason for you to not feel happy today. Seriously, folks—this might be unfortunately classified as ‘anti-folk,’ but to this writer, The WoWz do not sound a damn thing like any of those kinds of bands, nor should they be classified as such. (Damn lazy music writers, always forcing bands into meaningless genres!)
Comparisons to bands like the Byrds and the Beatles may abound on their website, but there’s something a bit more…childlike…about their music. The wholesome innocence of sing-along numbers like “Happy Today,” “He Wanders” and the clappy-sad “Nothing Would Be Better” are reminiscent of a weird blend of Daniel Johnston, Half Japanese and Beck on a Schoolhouse Rocks! tip. The simple melodies are compounded by words that are instantly catchy; it’s easy to envision the WoWz as a great live band, one who gets the audience worked up and happy—even though, of course, sometimes they’re singing songs about breakups and death and not happy stuff. New York has too many people and even more crappy bands, but the WoWz stand out in the crowd.
Literally—they’re the kind of band you’re more than likely see standing out on the street, singing outside subway entrances and street carnivals, entertaining the crowd.
Getting hooked onLong Grain Rights is really easy to do—it’s getting off of them that’s complicated. Once you’ve put this deceptively simple record into your stereo, you’ll find that attempting to remove it is an utterly complicated thing to do. Now, how’s about coming out and wowing the rest of the country? In complicated times, The WoWz’s simplicity and wholesome innocence is a welcome relief.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.thewowz.com
Label Website: http://www.riylrecords.com
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