Ethan Woods Uses Psychedelic Songwriting on New Album 'Burnout'

Ethan Woods wades through humid field recordings and psychedelic songwriting on his latest release, Burnout, released today on Whatever's Clever.

The fundamental guitar, voice, and ambient tracks were all tracked outside on a late summer day in western North Carolina, and later supplemented and further arranged with instrumental overdubs recorded during the early months of the COVID pandemic. Intricate chamber pop arrangements gently roosted atop ambient recordings of the dawn chorus, cricket chirps, howling dogs, crowing roosters, and sudden thunderstorms.

Think Alan Lomax recording a supergroup made up of Sufjan Stevens and The Books, with stylistic nods to North Carolina's Sarah Louise and fellow Bennington graduates Mountain Man. Features performances by Ethan, Lauren Gerndt, Matt Evans, Trevor Wilson, and Aaron Smith.

Burnout began in Brooklyn between the years of 2014 and 2017, and was later fine-tuned after Ethan moved to Asheville, North Carolina in 2018. The skeleton of this album was recorded live and outside on a late summer day in the rural setting of the Appalachian foothills, surrounded by swaying plants and buzzing/howling/cawing animals. After a move back to Brooklyn and the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ethan recorded additional parts at the defunct DIY venue Fort Briscoe.

Burnout begins with "Mrs. Moo," a song named after a character from Ethan's childhood made up by his father. Sounds of the dawn chorus are followed by the voice of Ethan's partner Lauren reading a line from a poem about Teddy bears. Over fragments of this poem, Ethan strums a country-tinged lament to a recording of brushed drums performed by percussionist Matt Evans that lazily shuffles through a cassette player's hissing speaker. At the song's close, Trevor Wilson (who helped with engineering and morale) asks, "Yeah, what'd you think of that?" while Ethan fumbles with the field recorder to stop the recording, one of the many incidental inclusions that define the sound of Burnout.

As each song unfolds, the day wears on, following the sun's path across the sky. Throughout "Lauren's Song," a rooster crows in counterpoint to Ethan's yearning melody, marking the start of the day. During the dark midpoint of the album, "Porch Talk (Sandy Mush Version)," the distinct sounds of nightfall crickets fill the speakers with dusk, only to be confused by a songbird and church bell sound collage performed by electronic experimentalist Aaron Smith. The album closes with the aptly named "Say Goodnight My Light," a feral rain-soaked stomp about giving in and giving up.

The combination of whimsical lyrics (a highlight of which is "Aster's Song," dedicated to Ethan's late ill-tempered dog), field recordings from the mountains, and overdubbed psychedelia inspires a delightful curiosity about the environment surrounding these songs. The incidental field recording quality of the performances mixed with Ethan's studio wizardry leaves the listener wondering what happened live, what happened after the fact, and what does it mean for a record to even be live? In fact, much of the album finds Ethan himself asking similar questions. To some relief, he occasionally offers answers too.

Watch Video for First Single "Mrs. Moo"
Watch Video for Second Single "Chirin's Bell"
Stream + Download Full Album Below

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Links:
Website
Bandcamp
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Photo Credits: Dave Scanlon

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