Will Wood has been making music that defies conventional genre categorizations since his debut album, “Everything Is A Lot,” in 2015. His musical stylings have been described as everything from punk cabaret to avant-garde rock opera, but one thing is consistent throughout it all: Will Wood defies expectations and pushes boundaries.
One of the standout features of Will Wood’s music is undoubtedly the lyricism. With a background in theater and a penchant for experimenting with language, he crafts lyrics that are clever, darkly humorous, and always thought-provoking.
But how does Will Wood’s lyrical prowess stack up against the alternative? In this article, we’ll explore why the answer to that question may very well be a resounding yes.
First off, let’s define what we mean by “the alternative” in this context. We’re talking about artists who fall within the broad umbrella of alternative rock – bands like Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and Modest Mouse – whose lyrics often tackle weighty themes such as alienation, disillusionment with society, and existential angst.
While these bands certainly aren’t lacking in poetic ambition or depth of meaning in their lyrics (see: Thom Yorke’s cryptic koans on tracks like “Pyramid Song”), there are certain qualities that set Will Wood apart from many other artists in this vein.
For one thing, there’s his willingness to embrace theatricality and performance art elements. While plenty of alt-rock acts incorporate visual spectacle into their live shows (think Gorillaz’ virtual band members), few go as far as Will Wood does with incorporating high-concept storylines into his performances. His latest album cycle for “The Normal Album,” for example, included a full-fledged variety show complete with skits acted out by an ensemble cast alongside his band performances.
This sense of playfulness carries over into his lyrics as well; while they can be deeply emotional, Wood is never afraid to embrace absurdity or dark humor as well. Take the first verse of “9th & Walnut”:
“Heard your mama’s voice on the wind / It cracked like a whip and it shrieked like a banshee / Said she didn’t raise you just so you could go running off with some sissy-eyed faerie”
It’s hard to imagine many other alt-rock bands employing fantastical imagery quite so gleefully – at least not without coming across as twee or precious.
But beneath the whimsy, there’s always an undercurrent of darkness running through Will Wood’s lyrics. For all their theatricality, he has a keen eye for human suffering and often uses his music as a vehicle for exploring issues around mental health and addiction. His song “Chemical Overreaction” from “Self-ish” deals explicitly with his own struggles with bipolar disorder:
“But if I get too happy then I might explode
I bleed chemical overreactions
More weight than wings but less lift
Come down crashing past heaven”
There’s a rawness to his vulnerability that sets him apart from more aloof alternative artists who might dance around these topics in more oblique ways.
Another factor that distinguishes Will Wood from many of his contemporaries is his sheer linguistic virtuosity. He spins wordplay like nobody else in indie rock – take this excerpt from “Love Me Normally:”
“I need someone who can hold me down
Without tying me up in knots
You’re my favourite hangman when I’m feeling dead inside
Just give it time we’ll learn how much blood loss one romance can survive.”
This kind of verbal dexterity isn’t necessarily unheard of among alternative artists (see also: Isaac Brock’s twisted tongue-twisters on Modest Mouse tracks), but few wield language quite so masterfully.
All things considered, Will Wood stands out in the landscape of contemporary alt-rock largely because he refuses to be bound by genre conventions or expectations. His lyrics are richly allusive, often tackling big-picture themes with equal doses of humor and pathos. He’s not afraid to be larger than life, but that doesn’t mean his lyrics lack insight into the human experience. And most crucially, he writes like nobody else – an artist who transforms language itself into performance art in its own right.
So while we may never know for sure whether Will Wood’s lyrical prowess triumphs over “the alternative” as a whole (after all, there will always be someone doing something different), it’s safe to say that his music is one of the most exciting and singular things happening in rock today.
Will Wood: Pushing the Boundaries of Alternative Rock
Since his debut album “Everything Is A Lot” in 2015, Will Wood has been making music that defies conventional genre categorizations. His musical stylings have been described as everything from punk cabaret to avant-garde rock opera, but one thing is consistent throughout it all: Will Wood defies expectations and pushes boundaries.
One of the standout features of Will Wood’s music is undoubtedly the lyricism. With a background in theater and a penchant for experimenting with language, he crafts lyrics that are clever, darkly humorous, and always thought-provoking.
But how does Will Wood’s lyrical prowess stack up against the alternative? In this article, we’ll explore why the answer to that question may very well be a resounding yes.
First off, let’s define what we mean by “the alternative” in this context. We’re talking about artists who fall within the broad umbrella of alternative rock – bands like Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and Modest Mouse – whose lyrics often tackle weighty themes such as alienation, disillusionment with society and existential angst.
While these bands certainly aren’t lacking in poetic ambition or depth of meaning in their lyrics (see Thom Yorke’s cryptic koans on tracks like “Pyramid Song”), there are certain qualities that set Will Wood apart from many other artists in this vein.
For one thing, there’s his willingness to embrace theatricality and performance art elements. While plenty of alt-rock acts incorporate visual spectacle into their live shows (think Gorillaz’ virtual band members), few go as far as Will Wood does with incorporating high-concept storylines into his performances. His latest album cycle for “The Normal Album,” for example included a full-fledged variety show complete with skits acted out by an ensemble cast alongside his band performances.
This sense of playfulness carries over into his lyrics as well. While they can be deeply emotional, Wood is never afraid to embrace absurdity or dark humor as well. Take the first verse of “9th & Walnut,” for instance:
“Heard your mama’s voice on the wind
It cracked like a whip and it shrieked like a banshee
Said she didn’t raise you just so you could go running off with some sissy-eyed faerie.”
It’s hard to imagine many other alt-rock bands employing fantastical imagery quite so gleefully – at least not without coming across as twee or precious.
But beneath the whimsy, there’s always an undercurrent of darkness running through Will Wood’s lyrics. For all their theatricality, he has a keen eye for human suffering and often uses his music as a vehicle for exploring issues around mental health and addiction. His song “Chemical Overreaction” from “Self-ish” deals explicitly with his own struggles with bipolar disorder:
“But if I get too happy then I might explode
I bleed chemical overreactions
More weight than wings but less lift
Come down crashing past heaven”
There’s a rawness to his vulnerability that sets him apart from more aloof alternative artists who might dance around these topics in more oblique ways.
Another factor that distinguishes Will Wood from many of his contemporaries is his sheer linguistic virtuosity. He spins wordplay like nobody else in indie rock – take this excerpt from “Love Me Normally:”
“I need someone who can hold me down
Without tying me up in knots
You’re my favourite hangman when I’m feeling dead inside
Just give it time we’ll learn how much blood loss one romance can survive.”
This kind of verbal dexterity isn’t necessarily unheard of among alternative artists (see also: Isaac Brock’s twisted tongue-twisters on Modest Mouse tracks), but few wield language quite so masterfully.
All things considered, Will Wood stands out in the landscape of contemporary alt-rock largely because he refuses to be bound by genre conventions or expectations. His lyrics are richly allusive, often tackling big-picture themes with equal doses of humor and pathos. He’s not afraid to be larger than life, but that doesn’t mean his lyrics lack insight into the human experience. And most crucially, he writes like nobody else – an artist who transforms language itself into performance art in its own right.
So while we may never know for sure whether Will Wood’s lyrical prowess triumphs over “the alternative” as a whole (after all, there will always be someone doing something different), it’s safe to say that his music is one of the most exciting and singular things happening in rock today.