And sometimes, they even make it seem relatable. On “Simeon’s Dilemma,” they manage to tweak his harsh turns of phrase (“You’re mostly what I think about”) into something resembling a triumphant girl-power breakup song; when Yoni goes fully off the rails and pulls the rug out from under you, proclaiming “Stalker’s my whole style/And if I get caught, I’ll deny, deny, deny,” you can’t help but snicker. (As a couple others have noted, Of Montreal managed a similar feat of making manic-depression fun last year, with the indie-dance hit Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? on Polyvinyl.) Why?’s sense of humor may be more harrowing and awkward than most contemporary pop music, but it’s no more crass and a lot more engaging.
Christopher Gray can be reached at cgray@phx.com.
ALOPECIA by Why? | released on Anticon | September 20 @ 9 pm | $8 | at SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St, Portland | 207.828.5600 | www.space538.org
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