1) An American indie roc… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:
1) An American indie rock and hip hop band
2) A British folk-pop band
1) A trio of Cincinnati-born men who fiddle with skins, strings, bells and microphones and present their findings to the listening public. Singer Yoni Wolf grew up the second son to an art book editor and a rabbi. He got his start recording bad poems and sloppy beats on the family synagogue’s 4-track. In junior high he discovered hip-hop. At art school, he learned how to drop out. Yoni’s brother Josiah played drums at Rabbi Wolf’s worship service as a kid, became a band geek as a teen, and fell in love with Thelonious Monk on his way to study music at University of Cincinnati. Doug McDiarmid would eventually get expelled from that same school for carrying a stun gun, but first he was raised by two French teachers and taught piano while in kindergarten. He also went to high school with the Wolfs, where he played in Steve Miller cover bands.
In various permutations together and with other now-notables (i.e. Doseone, Odd Nosdam, Mr. Dibbs, Atmosphere’s Slug), these three created and/or contributed to several freewheeling rap and lo-fi rock-related projects including Greenthink, Miss Ohio’s Nameless, Reaching Quiet, and the seminal cLOUDDEAD outfit. Their wildest dreams were achieved when they relocated to Oakland to make pop-inflected psychedelic folk-hop.
For four years, two EPs and 2003’s cult classic LP, Oaklandazulasylum, WHY? comprised Yoni Wolf alone. He honed his trademark delivery – a sickly sweet, half-rapped, singsong style – shined up his wry, picturesque poetry, and developed a clip-and-collage aesthetic using keyboards, toys, guitars, samplers and anything worth banging on. When Doug and Josiah moved west to join Yoni, they brought with them a hoard of instruments and the ability to wail on every last one. By chops and imagination, WHY? grew into a thing of flesh, bones and fully fledged songs, resulting in 2005’s Elephant Eyelash album. Critics swooned; ladies lauded; WHY? neither resisted nor rested. They toured – with Silver Jews, Yo La Tengo, and Islands. They collaborated – with Danielson Family, Department Of Eagles, and Subtle (Yoni also recorded with Fog’s Andrew Broder as “Hymie’s Basement”). They put out yet more music.
The brand new album Eskimo Snow is something of a companion piece to last year’s celebrated Alopecia LP. In February of 2007, the WHY? trio temporarily relocated to Minneapolis and officially inducted Fog players Andrew Broder and Mark Erickson. Recording live as a five-piece, WHY? created two distinct albums from those sessions: Alopecia, with its taut rhythms and biting wit, and Eskimo Snow, a shadowy and sprawling set that finds Yoni resigned to and ever-awed by those infinite erring bits of existence that make WHY? what it is.
2) Also an English folk-pop band active during the 90s. They released nine albums between '91 & '99, including the curiously-titled Pinnenstripeensuitenwearenfoddergeburnenclippenclopen.
Rubber Traits
Why? Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To be caught in the cut coffee sober
Ding-di-di-ding-di-di-ding-ding-boom-boom-boulder
One scratched lens of...
Of a brand new prescription
Drawing dates from a stacked deck of cards
And doom-doom-doom
I should cut down my caloric intake
I should go to sleep hungry
And wake up with my guts knotted up
And ears open like a burnt down hut
I want my mouth to always taste ablate
But I want, but I want, but (ooooooh)
I want to kiss like taffy
Hump gentle on a bed of nails and
Feel salt to widen eyes like a cut-up clam's tongue does
I wanna dump early on that BMT the rest
I want a patch of blue sky to follow me
Unfold an oragami death mask
And cut my DNA with rubber traits
Pull apart the double helix like a wishbone
Always be working on a suicide note
I don't want to (oo-ee-oo)
When I feel like I could have gone longer
(repeat x3)
I don't want to (oo-ee-oo)
When I feel like I could have gone...
Productive, fully-charged, cocked and pointed
Keep a tape recorder on my bedside table
Sweats, only the pants that fit the best, no belts, no cuffs
Walked home yet loose keep heel dies blue to a ten
Watch a fly hit a pane of glass till it gets real bony
His stomach swells up and he dies
I don't want to (oo-ee-oo)
When I feel like I could have gone longer
(repeat x3)
I don't want to (oo-ee-oo)
When I feel like I could have gone...
The lyrics to Why?'s "Rubber Traits" are a complex exploration of the desire to be seen and known, alongside a deep sense of anxiety and self-destruction. The opening lines, "I want to always be on film, to be caught in the cut coffee sober" express a longing for visibility and recognition. However, this desire is tempered by lines like "I should cut down my caloric intake / I should go to sleep hungry," which speak to a darker impulse towards self-denial and control.
The refrain of "I don't want to (oo-ee-oo) / When I feel like I could have gone longer" highlights the tension between these two desires, as if the singer is constantly questioning their own choices and wondering if they are living up to their potential. Other lines, like "Walked home yet loose keep heel dies blue to a ten" and "Watch a fly hit a pane of glass till it gets real bony" evoke a sense of bodily discomfort and decay.
Throughout the song, there are also references to death and suicide, such as "Always be working on a suicide note" and "Unfold an oragami death mask / And cut my DNA with rubber traits." These lines suggest a preoccupation with one's own mortality and a sense of fatalistic nihilism. Overall, "Rubber Traits" is a haunting and complex meditation on the fragility of the human condition.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to always be on film,
I want to be in the spotlight or constantly be monitored and recorded.
To be caught in the cut coffee sober
To be caught just before getting high or excited and to remain level-headed and sober.
Ding-di-di-ding-di-di-ding-ding-boom-boom-boulder
Repeating sounds that may indicate a chaotic and frenzied state.
One scratched lens of...
An imperfection, no matter how small, can greatly alter a person's perspective.
Of a brand new prescription
Even with something new, there may still be flaws or inconsistencies present.
Drawing dates from a stacked deck of cards
Indicates trying to manipulate or cheat a situation to one's advantage.
And doom-doom-doom
Repeated sounds indicating a looming or impending sense of dread or failure.
I should cut down my caloric intake
I should eat less to reduce my weight or to punish myself in some way.
I should go to sleep hungry
I should deprive myself of basic needs in order to maintain a sense of control over my life.
And wake up with my guts knotted up
To feel anxious, scared or uneasy about something.
And ears open like a burnt down hut
To be alert, cautious or skeptical of everything and everyone around.
I want my mouth to always taste ablate
I want to have a bitter or acidic taste in my mouth as means of self-punishment.
But I want, but I want, but (ooooooh)
Feeling conflicted and unsure of what one really wants.
I want to kiss like taffy
To have a deep or passionate kiss that stretches and pulls like taffy.
Hump gentle on a bed of nails and
To endure difficult or painful experiences with ease or grace.
Feel salt to widen eyes like a cut-up clam's tongue does
To feel a strong, unexpected sensation that causes one's eyes to widen in surprise or shock.
I wanna dump early on that BMT the rest
I want to end a bad situation or relationship before it gets too difficult or painful.
I want a patch of blue sky to follow me
I want to have moments of happiness or clarity in my otherwise dismal or confusing life.
Unfold an oragami death mask
To create a symbolic representation of death that one can wear or carry with them.
And cut my DNA with rubber traits
To modify or alter one's genetic makeup to better suit one's desires or needs.
Pull apart the double helix like a wishbone
To manipulate one's genes or genetic makeup as if it were some sort of plaything.
Always be working on a suicide note
To always be contemplating or thinking about ending one's own life.
Productive, fully-charged, cocked and pointed
Feeling energized and ready to take on anything or anyone.
Keep a tape recorder on my bedside table
Always be prepared to document or record important thoughts, dreams, or experiences.
Sweats, only the pants that fit the best, no belts, no cuffs
Wearing comfortable clothing that fits well and does not restrict movement.
Walked home yet loose keep heel dies blue to a ten
Walking home unencumbered, but still feeling pressure or unease about something.
Watch a fly hit a pane of glass till it gets real bony
To watch something struggle and suffer until it reaches a point of exhaustion or death.
His stomach swells up and he dies
Death can come suddenly and without warning, often in the most painful and brutal way possible.
I don't want to (oo-ee-oo)
Not wanting to experience or feel a certain negative emotion or consequence.
When I feel like I could have gone longer
Regretting not pushing oneself harder or further in a task or situation.
Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pancakesflop9279
i want to kiss like taffy
@jakeyyt7945
WHY did they never get famous?!
@LuKaSiSnT
They have a pretty dedicated fan base. I've seen Yoni 4 times in the past four years. They've only gotten better.
@Bobo-pd1bm
Yeah . If you went to their shows . They filled up the venues .
@relyTinMotion
<3
@raquelamodio97
Uhhg 😂