The very first time I heard the opening song on Sun And Shade, Pushing Onlys, I knew it was going to be my song of the year. It didn't stray much from the Woods-formula, three chords and a simple melody sung in one of the highest male voices you'll ever hear, but it sounded so fresh and earnest, almost anthemic. Woods has been known (by me, anyways) to put their best foot forward, opening with To Clean on 2009's Songs Of Shame, and Blood Dries Darker on last year's At Echo Lake. But Pushing Onlys took things to a new level, and set the tone for what is my favorite Woods album.
Sun And Shade contains some great 2.5-minute pop songs (To Have In The Home, Any Other Day, Who Do I Think I Am), but the key to enjoying the album as a whole is to embrace the two 7-minute+ songs. Of the two, Out Of The Eye is the easier to stick with. Appearing early in the album (only 8 minutes in), it's a major departure from the pop ditties you'd been used to, but it's a great jam that also serves as a nice precursor to the two shorter songs that follow. The nearly 10-minute Sol Y Sombra will be a stumbling block for a lot of listeners, but it sets up a stellar 5-song run that closes out the album.
One more thing: if Woods comes to your town, make an effort to see them play. The juxtaposition of the pop song / space jam is one thing on a record but a whole other (better) animal in a live setting.
Woods: "Any Other Day" by alteredzones
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