billy woods – Today, I Wrote Nothing (10 Year Anniversary Reissue) – 2LP – Coke Bottle Clear Vinyl [AUG 29]

2LP – Indies Exclusive Limited Edition Coke Bottle Clear Vinyl. Reissued to mark the album’s 10th Anniversary.

When billy woods released Today, I Wrote Nothing ten years ago, it was an unexpected departure from a rapper who was just starting to make waves in the indie rap scene. After spending the earlier part of his career in the wilderness, woods had managed to crawl out of obscurity with the minor success of 2012s History Will Absolve Me. Dour Candy, 2013s collaboration with underground legend Blockhead drew accolades, which only increased with Armand Hammers debut Race Music.

Then, woods dropped out of sight for two years before returning with Today, I Wrote Nothing, a record that deviated significantly from what had come before. Where Dour Candy had been concise and focused, TIWN was a sprawling 24 tracks. Where History Will Absolve Me was anchored by hard-hitting beats, anthemic songs, and a couple high powered features, TIWN was comprised of short vignettes, quietly eclectic production, and the only guests were his Backwoodz label-mates. Only one video was released; the claustrophobic Flatlands, shot on a shoestring budget in a Brooklyn housing project. Reviewers didnt know quite what to make of the record, and in many cases, neither did fans.

As is often the case for woods albums, many perspectives shifted as the years passed. Listeners came to see the sad, quiet beauty of Today, I Wrote Nothing; a road trip album that doubles as a meditation on lifes journeys and deaths hiding places. The albums power is in its intimacy, its insistence on holding your hand through the darkness. Now, TIWN is considered one of the more unique and vital records in woods catalogue. The dynamic woods created with TIWN vis-a-vis History Will Absolve Me and Dour Candy is one that would come to define his ouerve; constant experimentation, a refusal to be pigeonholed, and an unwavering search for the emotional heart of his subject. For us at Backwoodz, being able to repress this album on its ten year anniversary is especially sweet, because we remember how long it took us to sell that original run of 500. To everyone who copped one of those and helped us keep the lights on, this is for you too, we couldnt have gotten here otherwise.

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Lost Blocks f. Elucid produced by Messiah Musik
2. The Big Nothing produced by Messiah Musik
3. Flatlands produced by Messiah Musik
4. Woodhull produced by Willie Green
5. U-Boats f. ELUCID produced by Driver for Raygunomics & Aesop Rock
6. Zulu Tolstoy produced by Willie Green
7. Warmachines produced by Messiah Musik
8. Carpetbagger f. ELUCID produced by Brother Hall

Side B
1. Born Yesterday produced by Messiah Musik
2. Sleep produced by Willie Green
3. Scales f. LWren produced by Messiah Musik
4. Poor Company f. Elucid & Henry Canyons produced by ELUCID & Messiah Musik
5. Dreams Come True produced by Messiah Musik

Side C
1. Bicycles f. Henry Canyons produced by Blockhead
2. African Dodger f. ELUCID produced by DOSG4W
3. Lambs produced by Messiah Musik
4. Slow Week produced by DOSG4W
5. Weeper f. Curly Castro produced by Messiah Musik
6. RPMS produced by Messiah Musik

Side D
1. Dark Woods produced by Steel Tipped Dove
2. True Stories produced by Blockhead
3. Borrowed Time produced by Junclassic
4. Benediction produced by ELUCID
5. Good Night produced by Blockhead