You’d be remiss to dismiss Woods as yet another lo-fi fad band rapidly churning out fuzzed-out albums at the expense of quality. Sure, the band exemplifies some of the genre’s trappings: frenzied output and a ramshackle looseness that toes the line of sloppiness. Fortunately, the Brooklyn psych-folk outfit manages to capture that ever-elusive one-take aesthetic without sacrificing the integrity of their songs. Upholding their one LP per year prolificness, the band returns with Sun & Shade. The album kicks off with the sun-drenched pop of “Pushing Onlys,” which finds singer-guitarist Jeremy Earl (also founder of the burgeoning Woodsist label) musing on everyday struggles and weaving his patented shaky falsetto over acoustic strumming and reverb-laden electric guitar. Elsewhere, there’s the Graham Nash-inflected folk ditty “Be All Be Easy,” the winning, early 70′s radio-groove of “Who Do I Think I Am?” and the jammy instrumental explorations of “Out Of The Eye” and “Sol Y Sombra.” With a sound informed by decades long past, Woods navigates a vast sonic spectrum that shifts from blissed-out beach pop to campfire folk to psychedelic jam-band all while sounding both timeless and immediate. With Sun & Shade, Woods adds yet another worthy release to their expanding discography . — Capt. Obvious

Listen:

Pushing Onlys.mp3

Who Do I Think I Am.mp3