SELF-iSH explained

SELF-iSH
Type:studio
Artist:Will Wood and the Tapeworms
Cover:Will Wood - Self-Ish.jpg
Recorded:2015–2016
Studio:
Genre:
Length:33:28
Label:Say-10 Records
Producer:Kevin Antreassian
Prev Title:Everything Is a Lot
Prev Year:2015
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SELF-iSH is the second studio album by American indie rock band Will Wood and the Tapeworms. It was independently released on August 23, 2016, and later received distribution through Say-10 Records. Supported by three singles and four music videos, the album was written by Will Wood and produced by Kevin Antreassian. SELF-iSH received a positive reception for its chaotic energy and wide range of musical influence.

Background

Prior to release, Will Wood described SELF-iSH to be "about identity, ego and lack thereof".[5] He aimed for boldness and a lack of subtlety to strengthen his own honesty on the album. It was produced, mixed, and mastered by Kevin Antreassian of Dillinger Escape Plan.[2] During the creative process, Wood was unmedicated and new to therapy, which resulted in frenetic writing sessions and intense emotional experiences.[6]

Release

On July 8, 2016, "Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer's Prosopagnosia / Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to Fusiform Gyrus)" was released as the lead single of SELF-iSH. Alongside it was a music video co-directed by Will Wood and Adam Nawrot, featuring the band performing nude in a monochromatic room.[7] "Dr. Sunshine Is Dead" released on July 28 as the second single,[8] followed by "2012" as the third and final single on August 9. The latter had a music video published the same day, directed by Wood with Jesse Lazarus and Maddie Schwartz. It presents the band performing in an evidence room and a party, intermittenly cutting to Wood with body paint and various pieces of oversaturated or desaturated footage.[9]

SELF-iSH was released as Will Wood and the Tapeworms' second album on August 23, 2016.[8] [10] On May 26, 2017, a music video was released for "Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In!". Recorded in one shot and directed by Mark Jaworski, it features the band performing in a busy and cluttered room through a fisheye lens.[11] This was followed years later by a music video for "Dr. Sunshine Is Dead", released on September 30, 2019. It shows the Tapeworms performing on a psychedelic background while Wood shaves his head, eats waffles in a patient gown, wears body paint, and digs a hole in the ground in a thunderstorm.[12] On December 25, 2020, SELF-iSH was remastered and re-released by independent record label Say-10.

Songs and reception

SELF-iSH contains the title tracks "Self-" and "-Ish", piano ballads that open and close the eight-song album, respectively. They discuss Wood's amnesia caused by his recreational drug use. The track "2012" additionally elaborates on this,[13] a funk-oriented track with lyrics about spirituality and psychedelics. Its composition revolves around saxophone, piano, and kazoo, while the song's lyrics are sung at a fast pace. Tony Shrum of New Noise Magazine labeled it as "sarcastically-cheery drug-addled babbling",[9] while Bob Makin of My Central Jersey referred to it as a "jazzy acid trip".[13] In an interview with the latter, Wood stated that the year marked Quetzalcoatl's return and a tabula rasa of existential nihilism.[2]

"Cotard's Solution (Anatta, Dukkha, Anicca)" was described by Makin as a "zany, cirque de l’enfer revelry", likening it to Danny Elfman.[13] "Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer's Prosopagnosia / Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to Fusiform Gyrus)" is fourth on SELF-iSH, which uses a swing-punk melodic pattern. It was later included in "Weird Al" Yankovic's 2024 summer playlist.[14] "The Song with Five Names a.K.a. Soapbox Tao a.K.a. Checkmate Atheists! a.K.a. Neospace Government (A.K.a. You Can Never Know)" follows as a "50s-spirited, gospel-inspired" song, featuring Alex Nauth of Foxy Shazam.[13]

Dianne Miranda of Gauntlet included "Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In!" in a playlist of songs intended to put the listener in a state of numbness,[15] while Makin called it an "insane funeral march", overall describing the album as "a circus from hell".[13] "Dr. Sunshine Is Dead" is a progressive rock song with latin inspiration. It focuses on dramatic instrumentation with saxophone, guitar, and piano, additionally including trumpet by Alex Nauth.[8] Shrum related it to "Bohemian Rhapsody" and detailed it as a mix of My Chemical Romance and the Mars Volta,[16] while Shawn Macomber of Fangoria described the track as a "gleefully deranged sonic ambience", comparing it to Gogol Bordello, Mr. Bungle, and Tom Waits.[17]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[1]

Musicians
Technical
Additional vocalists

Notes and References

  1. SELF-iSH. Will Wood and the Tapeworms. 2016. Say-10.
  2. Web site: Makin. Bob. Makin Waves with Will Wood & the Tapeworms. My Central Jersey. en. October 16, 2016. August 25, 2024. December 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211206114024/https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/how-we-live/2016/10/16/makin-waves-wood-tapeworms/91869608/. live.
  3. Web site: Howells. Rich. YOU SHOULD BE LISTENING TO: New Jersey avant-pop rock band Will Wood and the Tapeworms. Nepa Scene. en. March 12, 2018. August 25, 2024. August 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240825202114/https://nepascene.com/2018/03/should-listening-new-jersey-avant-pop-rock-band-will-wood-tapeworms/. live.
  4. Web site: Olivier. Bobby. 25 N.J. bands that you need to hear right now. NJ.com. en. October 13, 2016. August 25, 2024. September 28, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240928080606/https://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/2016/10/the_25_bands_leading_new_jerseys_new_rock_movement.html. live.
  5. Web site: Olivier. Bobby. Inside the tortured soul and chaotic sound of Will Wood and the Tapeworms. NJ.com. en. July 1, 2016. August 25, 2024. July 7, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220707221357/https://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/2016/07/inside_the_wondrous_piano-rock_chaos_of_will_wood.html. live.
  6. Web site: Hsu. Caitlin. Will Wood wants to be authentic, whatever it takes. Washington Square News. en. April 29, 2022. August 25, 2024.
  7. Web site: Shrum. Tony. Will Wood & The Tapeworms Release "Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity" Video. New Noise Magazine. en. July 8, 2016. August 25, 2024.
  8. Web site: Juvinall. Michael. Exclusive: Will Wood & The Tapeworms Premiere Bombastic Single "Dr. Sunshine is Dead!". Horror Society. en. July 28, 2016. August 25, 2024. August 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240825202115/https://www.horrorsociety.com/2016/07/28/exclusive-will-wood-tapeworms-premiere-bombastic-single-dr-sunshine-dead/. live.
  9. Web site: Shrum. Tony. Will Wood & The Tapeworms Release "2012" Music Video. New Noise Magazine. en. August 9, 2016. August 25, 2024. August 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240825202114/https://newnoisemagazine.com/will-wood-tapeworms-2012-video/. live.
  10. Web site: Olivier. Bobby. 35 N.J. bands you need to hear in 2017. NJ.com. en. January 13, 2017. August 25, 2024. September 24, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240924210931/https://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/2017/01/35_nj_bands_you_must_hear_in_2017.html. live.
  11. Web site: New Noise. Video Premiere: Will Wood & the Tapeworms – "Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In!". New Noise Magazine. en. May 26, 2017. August 25, 2024. August 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240825202114/https://newnoisemagazine.com/will-wood-tapeworms-hand-shovel-video/. live.
  12. Web site: Nelson. Joshua. Will Wood's "White Noise" Resonates Harmonious – A Review. Bleeding Cool. en. July 19, 2022. August 18, 2024.
  13. Web site: Makin. Bob. Makin Waves with Chevonne and The Fuzz. My Central Jersey. en. August 28, 2016. August 25, 2024. September 9, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240909131148/https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/how-we-live/2016/08/28/makin-waves-chevonne-and-fuzz/89228960/. live.
  14. Web site: Sandstrom. Emily. "Weird Al" Shares His Zany Summer Playlist. And His Social Security Number.. Interview. en. July 18, 2024. August 25, 2024. August 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240826193918/https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/weird-al-shares-his-zany-summer-playlist-with-us. live.
  15. Web site: Miranda. Dianne. Gauntlet Mixtape Vol. 24: Brain Rot. Gauntlet. en. May 1, 2024. August 25, 2024. September 2, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240902180528/https://thegauntlet.ca/2024/05/01/gauntlet-mixtape-vol-24-brain-rot/. live.
  16. Web site: Shrum. Tony. Will Wood & The Tapeworms Stream New Single "Dr. Sunshine is Dead!". New Noise Magazine. en. July 29, 2016. August 25, 2024. August 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240825202114/https://newnoisemagazine.com/will-wood-tapeworms-dr-sunshine-dead/. live.
  17. Web site: Macomber. Shawn. Exclusive Premiere: Will Wood & The Tapeworms' Wicked New Music Video!. Fangoria. en. July 8, 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160711074432/https://www.fangoria.com/new/exclusive-premiere-will-wood-the-tapeworms-wicked-new-music-video/. July 11, 2016. August 25, 2024.

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