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Josiah Wolf, drummer of the indie and alternative hip hop band WHY? released his first solo album, Jet Lag, on March 2. The older brother of WHY? frontman Jonathan “Yoni” Wolf has produced a sound of his own. Do not expect anything like WHY?’s hip hop and highly whimsical lyrics. Wolf’s indie pop strikes the listener as being more psychedelic than funky. He uses complex combinations of instruments accompanying simple acoustic guitar, often with soft, arpeggiated riffs. His lyrics, while simpler than those of WHY?, nonetheless succeed in producing vivid images. Combined with mellow vocals, they express strong emotions while still maintaining the same dreamlike, relaxing atmosphere throughout the album.
Wolf’s solo debut opener, “The Trailer and the Truck,” begins with a gentle, peculiar arrangement of xylophones and guitars. It later introduces almost frenetic drumming and Wolf’s clear, resonating voice that marks him as a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. This track energetically initiates a long line of other songs that are beautiful but not quite as lively. They incorporate claps, a variety of percussion that includes bongos and different subdued electric guitar effects. Throughout the rest of the album, Wolf sings more softly yet with less vulnerability than in “The Trailer and the Truck,” opting instead for ethereal, vibrating high notes.
One strong point is the song that contains the title in one of its lines. In “The Skull in the Ice,” with its bittersweet piano, Wolf sings: “for 11 years we didn’t touch another / and now I can’t sleep ’cause it’s the kind of jet lag that makes a man want to weep.” Still another highlight is “The Apart Meant,” which utilizes more rock-edged guitar riffs and deeper vocals that seem to suit Wolf’s voice a bit more than the breathy high notes. The straightforward lyrics drive home a melancholic sensation rather than a bittersweet one in the previously mentioned track: “Unused ‘I love yous build up in my throat / my apartment smells like divorce …” A few other songs convey feelings of hopelessness, but not remotely to an overwhelming degree. Some tracks, on the other hand, are simply quirky and fun. The closing track, “The One Sign,” is by far the trippiest song on the CD. Surreal lyrics and stark guitar incite senses of mystery and curiosity, providing a fascinating yet sad exit.
Jet Lag flows sweetly and steadily from its invigorating start to its odd but hypnotic finish. Wolf displays a great deal of diversity and talent in the instruments he plays, mixing each of the elements they provide to produce a sound that is anything but random. His brand of indie pop is mild and emotional without being sappy or theatrical, and psychedelic without being frightening, or just overly druggy for that matter (if there is such a thing). However, nothing on the album is particularly impressive. Wolf’s voice frequently comes close to faltering. Even though the soft, calm high notes might fit better with the types of songs he writes and composes for this effort, his voice sounds like it’s more cut out for the open, borderline-wailing of the first track or the lower notes of “The Apart Meant.” Had he sung in this style slightly more often, it would have sounded more solid while still keeping the floaty, psychedelic ambience.
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