Alopecia

I'm done with this project. I started in August 2020 and am the longest-running user of the site. But it's 5 years later, the original list is long gone and I've been on user albums for years. It's lost its charm now that anyone who donates a few $$ can select an album. I've seen submissions from users who've only reviewed 50 albums themselves. I understand that site hosting isn't free, so minimal judgement, but the user albums are just too many, too crappy, too unpredictable. I didn't listen to this album. It might be good, it might be shit, it might be somewhere in between. I don't really care. I've had fun, and many thanks to the site creator and everyone I've argued with on Reddit. This is an obscure place to leave a goodbye message, I know (I deleted Reddit), so thanks for reading.

Everyone I worked with at my college radio station loved WHY? and I was just too dumb to get it at the time. This is a wholly unique blend of indie sensibility and lyrical genius, a completely distinct artistic statement that has no equal in the 1400+ albums I’ve gone through on this site. The whole product dares you to get comfortable, keeping you on your toes with some insane lyric or instrumental change-up right around the corner. Not all of the tracks gel into more than the sum of their many parts, but even then I found myself dazed (in a good way!) after this one ended and going back for more. Thanks for adding a more-than-worthy album to the list and once again proving how awful my judgement was in college.

Alopecia by WHY? is an interesting indie rock album. It varies tracks with the frontman singing with songs that having hip hop influences in the instrumentals and rap. Still the albums sounds pretty cohesive.

Alternative hip-hop/indie rock. Reminds me of Beck. Pretty solid. Favorite songs: These Few Presidents, Fatalist Palmistry, The Hollows, A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under, "Vowels, Pt. 2", By Torpedo or Crohn's, Good Friday Least favorite songs: Gnashville 4/5

Very easy to get into. Why have I never heard of these guys before. Right up my alley. Will definitely add to my playlist.

Hip hop alternativo. Está bien. Un 4, venga.

Angsty edgy lyrics make for kind of an R-rated They Might Be Giants. I dig it.

For me, Why's masterpiece will always be *Elephant Eyelash* and if you enjoyed this other album, I can only suggest you to give a spin to that earlier record as well. But yes, sure, *Alopecia* comes out as a close second favorite for me. Nice choice! 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 56 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 74 (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 134 --- Émile. Ça y est, j'ai *enfin* répondu (en deux temps). Tu trouveras ça sous les reviews des disques de Blackalicious et Alexisonfire au dessus

Pretty interesting! 3 stars.

Iiiinteresting, I figured this was the first I heard of Why?/Yoni Wolf, but he was on the 'cLOUDDEAD' album I put on last year. (Very trippy stuff, that) "Good Friday" has strong Beck vibes This is neat, I'm not bowled over by it but it's something I can see myself liking more with time. The moment I heard the toy piano in "Assassin" my feeling was "ah yes, these are my kind of hipsters" 3.5/5 HL: "These Few Presidents", "Song of the Sad Assassin", "A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under", "Simeon's Dilemma" October 4, 2025

It was not as bad as I was expecting but unmemorable I’m afraid.

The lyrics are so dense and clever that listening to them to comprehend and appreciate their artistry subtracts from the joy of music listening.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Vowels pt.2

Although very cleverly written and musically well constructed, I was a little put off by this throughout. The sort of teen angst plus edgily profane lyrical tone, under the wierdly They Might Be Giants reminiscent music, as a hip hop offshoot was a bridge too far for me.

Proto-Twenty One Pilots (Derogatory and complimentary)

Not bad… sort of reminds me of They Might Be Giants meets Beck.

This sounds like a cross between Beck and They Might Be Giants. I probably wouldn't listen to it again, but if someone was playing it, I'd have a pretty good time.

Canciones sorpresivas, un tanto diferentes. Voz masculina un tanto susurrante. Pop sin muchas pretensiones. Agradable de escuchar, pero le falta chispa.

Lots of echoes here from lots of other bands and songs but the overall impression is a really interesting collection of sounds and ideas. I really liked it.

Somewhat unusual...lots of minor keys added to the nilism.

Alright, I guess

Indie-rock with some mild hiphop influences. Very nasal vocals.

Ughh this is sooo indie rock

Why is a good question indeed

Why indeed. This album was lyrically a tour de force that would probably take multiple listens to digest everything going on. Overall though it felt like an album filled with edgy lyricism more than an album that was made for enjoyment. Something that may be cool as a teen or college but not for me. 4.7/10

Making another tally mark under the "Alternative Music By and For Sardonic Geeks" column, which has kind of become one of the flagship genres for the users list.

Certainly different... and certainly not something I enjoyed. The lyrics are odd and not very good.

I'm actually quite interested in the provenance of this record. The nasal, whiny, semi-spoken, er, I guess you could call it rap, reminds very vaguely of Eels, with Mr E's detached narrative description of the streets near Susan's House. However, this is a decade after Susan's House, so where have WHY? taken their other influences from? It is indeed an intriguing cut - drier and more sardonic than The Streets, who this also vaguely puts me in mind of. I can't claim to like this music. Many of the lyrics make me feel that maybe there's some sneering racisms tucked in there. Nothing overt, but I don't much like it. Also. Calling yourself Yoni is, in the language of the mid twenties - nocap cringe.

Everclear meets Shawn Mullins, not in a good way. Also sounds (on a few tracks) like The Lonely Island if they were 80% less energetic. Interesting, but not one I am likely to come back to, and not really a candidate for inclusion in the book (in my opinion)

Why indeed Hahaha I agree with the top comment on this album. This is becoming more of a chore than a hobby

Truly terrible. Pick a lane!