weed

No, this is not an ode to the green stuff some people smoke. This is about the music that gives you a chemical-free high.

genre: lo-fi, bedroom rock (bedrock)
artist: Weed
album: DC Hope EP
featured tracks: Cody Girl, W.G.A.
release date: July 13th 2010
label: Moodgadget

DC Hope EP will be Willy Anderson's second release as Weed. His first release was a cassette called "To The North," which he recorded and pressed in his bedroom and released for free a while back.

But since you're all still wondering why a guy named Willy Anderson picked the name Weed, I'll tell you that first. According to Willy (a Brooklyn-based, but well traveled 21 year old), the name Weed is a metaphor. He likes "thinking about people using songs like drugs" and states that he has "certainly used records to relax, get pumped up, or to cheer up, if only temporarily." Me too! And his songs certainly have that vibe. Don't get me wrong-- each track on the EP has it's own thing going on, but each, in it's essence, is "the right song at the right time."

Cody Girl is a mellow and upbeat track that blends muted vocals, riffs that roll like waves, soft drums, and a touch of Pink Floyd. The end result is, in layman's terms, a really really really good song. In the words of Bloc Party, it is "the gentlest feeling." But it still rocks.

W.G.A. utilizes a similar muted-vocals-paired-with-gentle-rock style, but carries a more introspective mood. The lyrics hint at stories of travel and basketball (two things Willy is well-versed in)... is this a self-portrait, in song form? Either way, I'm diggin' this mellow-rock thing he's got going on. Not boring and doesn't require headbanging? Perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.