Wood/Water: The Promise Ring тобының соңғы альбомы

Wood/Water is the fourth and final studio album by American rock band the Promise Ring. It was released by Anti on April 23, 2002. While touring in support of their third studio album, Very Emergency (1999), the Promise Ring were due to leave for a European tour; frontman Davey von Bohlen was diagnosed with meningioma on the day of departure. As a result of a post surgical infection, the band could not tour for the remainder of 2000. In early 2001, the Promise Ring made demos with Kristian Riley, and then recorded a track with producer Mario Caldato Jr. in Los Angeles, California. The Promise Ring flew to the UK for six weeks of recording with Stephen Street, before returning to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for further recording. The album moved away from the emo sound of the band's past works into alternative country, indie rock, and pop territory. Wood/Water received generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised the reinvention of the Promise Ring's sound. Before the band promoted it, Bohlen had additional surgery. They embarked on an accompanying US tour, which featured touring keyboardist William Seidel. The music video for "Stop Playing Guitar" was released in May 2002; the song was released as the album's lead single two months later. The Promise Ring appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in May 2002, before supporting Jimmy Eat World on a UK tour; a US support slot for Jimmy Eat World followed in July and August of that year. The band performed for the 2002 Plea for Peace tour prior to breaking up in mid October that same year.

The Promise Ring released their third studio album Very Emergency in September 1999 on independent record label Jade Tree, fulfilling their three album contract with the label. The Promise Ring were tired of playing what drummer Dan Didier called "those stripped down power type songs" while touring to promote Very Emergency in February 2000, and released their sixth EP Electric Pink in May of that year. Although the band were then scheduled to leave for a two month European tour, Bohlen was diagnosed with meningioma on the day of departure. The band then supported Bad Religion on tour, and around this time, guitarist Jason Gnewikow said they had five new songs which were closer in style to their second studio album Nothing Feels Good (1997) than Very Emergency.

In February 2001, the Promise Ring went to Bionic Studios in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to work on material with Kristian Riley of Citizen King. Pre production was done for "Stop Playing Guitar", "Wake Up April", "My Life Is at Home" and "Say Goodbye Good"; the session resulted in songs that differed in style from those on Very Emergency. The band was no longer signed to Jade Tree by March 2001, and signed with the Epitaph Records imprint Anti later that year. Later in May 2001, the band demoed material on Pro Tools, which marked a change from their previous process of jamming when rehearsing, playing songs live and recording them as quickly as possible in the studio. They attempted to reinvent their sound, although initially wrote material in the vein of Very Emergency. After some difficulty, the Promise Ring re evaluated and decided to write material at a steady pace. Although he wanted them to sign with Epitaph, the Promise Ring wanted to record for Anti because they were more familiar with the imprint; it featured artists, such as Tom Waits, Tricky and Merle Haggard, who did not fit into Epitaph's roster. Anti was understanding, since it was aware that the band wanted to move away from the emo genre. Since Street did not want to fly to the US, the Promise Ring flew to the UK to record with him. The band were in the process of finalizing details when Street went on vacation, and they had no way to communicate with him. Beginning to panic about their budget, the Promise Ring decided to split the recording between Street in the UK and Mario Caldato Jr. in Los Angeles. The band went to Los Angeles in mid 2001 and tracked "Say Goodbye Good" at Sonora Studios and MCJ Sound with Caldato producing; Robert Carranza handled recording. Street and the Promise Ring then went to Farnham and recorded at Jacobs Studios, a converted farmhouse. Additional recording was done for "Suffer Never", "Half Year Sun", "Letters to the Far Reaches" and "Feed the Night" at Polish Moon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. indie rock, and pop album, with elements of roots rock, alternative pop, The album was described as reminiscent of the music by Wilco, Guided by Voices, Superchunk, the Flaming Lips, Wheat, and the Delgados. Bohlen's vocals were compared to the Kinks frontman, Ray Davies, and lyrics on Wood/Water address the themes of change and re evaluating one's life. "Size of Your Life", the opening track, begins with guitar work that was compared to that in R. E. M.'s "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (1994), and features audio manipulation over Bohlen's vocals. The song sets the lyrical tone for the rest of Wood/Water. "Suffer Never", a primarily acoustic song using synthesizers and distorted electric guitars, resembles their earlier material and the Flaming Lips' "Race for the Prize" (1999). "Become One Anything One Time", originally called "Wood/Water", features slide guitar; its "la la la" chorus is reminiscent of "Downhill" (1998) by Mysteries of Life. It has a percussion loop that the band had used as a click track; at Street's suggestion, they left it in the final version. The drum pattern and guitar riff of "Get on the Floor" recalls "Death of a Disco Dancer" (1987) by the Smiths, which Street also produced. According to Gnewikow, he was unaware of the comparisondespite listening to the Smiths' fourth studio album Strangeways, Here We Come (1987) at the timeuntil it was pointed out to him. The piano ballad "Bread and Coffee" is followed by "Say Goodbye Good", which features a phaser effect. With its choir section, the latter was compared to a Stereophonics rendition of the Beatles' "Hey Jude" (1968).