After seeing that order shipments from Woodsist have been delayed until April 1, I got a nice surprise when my I Was Gone 7”, the latest from Brooklyn experimental folk group Woods, came in the mail this past week. Although probably not considered as rare as some of their other albums (an initial pressing of 1500 7”s is the vinyl equivalent of what Dan Brown got for The Lost Symbol), it’s still one of my favorites as it explores what post-Songs of Shame Woods might sound like.

Similar to “Creeps Collage” off of their Woods Family Creeps S/T, the A-side “Days Gone By” is a mix-and-match of track snippets, transitioning from one to another sometimes abruptly, sometimes smoothly. No doubt the mid-section of the song is the preferred part, featuring a soulful guitar line and the delicate falsetto of Jeremy Earl chanting the line “many days gone by”. The B-side is filled with a duo of jamming two-minute tracks. The first of which, entitled “I Was Gone”, is certainly “Eastern inspired”, prominently featuring some sitar-like sounds that mesh well with the psychedelic-tinged tendencies of the band. On the other hand, “Hang On” is one of their patented creepy songs which showcases spidery guitar lines and haunting background moans that no doubt add to the overall sense of uneasiness of the track.

You can check out the mashed together “Days Gone By” below, and, if you like it, cop the record from Midhaven Mailorder for a timely delivery:

Woods // Days Gone By