# Self-ish > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Self-ish > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Self-ish.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-ish > Source revision: 1334667953 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|2016 album by Will Wood and the Tapeworms}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = Self-ish | type = studio | artist = [Will Wood and the Tapeworms](/source/Will_Wood) | cover = Will Wood - Self-Ish.jpg | alt = | released = {{Start date|2016|08|23}} | recorded = 2015–2016 | studio = * Backroom Studios, [Rockaway, New Jersey](/source/Rockaway%2C_New_Jersey){{cite AV media notes |title=Self-ish|others=[Will Wood and the Tapeworms](/source/Will_Wood)|year=2016|publisher=[Say-10](/source/Say-10)}} | genre = * [Dark cabaret](/source/Dark_cabaret){{cite web|last=Makin|first=Bob|url=https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/how-we-live/2016/10/16/makin-waves-wood-tapeworms/91869608/|title=Makin Waves with Will Wood & the Tapeworms|website=My Central Jersey|language=en|date=October 16, 2016|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206114024/https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/how-we-live/2016/10/16/makin-waves-wood-tapeworms/91869608/|url-status=live}} * [punk jazz](/source/punk_jazz) * [gypsy punk](/source/gypsy_punk){{cite web|last=Howells|first=Rich|url=https://nepascene.com/2018/03/should-listening-new-jersey-avant-pop-rock-band-will-wood-tapeworms/|title=YOU SHOULD BE LISTENING TO: New Jersey avant-pop rock band Will Wood and the Tapeworms|website=Nepa Scene|language=en|date=March 12, 2018|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=August 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825202114/https://nepascene.com/2018/03/should-listening-new-jersey-avant-pop-rock-band-will-wood-tapeworms/|url-status=live}} * [glam rock](/source/glam_rock){{cite web|last=Olivier|first=Bobby|url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/2016/10/the_25_bands_leading_new_jerseys_new_rock_movement.html|title=25 N.J. bands that you need to hear right now|website=[NJ.com](/source/NJ.com)|language=en|date=October 13, 2016|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=September 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240928080606/https://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/2016/10/the_25_bands_leading_new_jerseys_new_rock_movement.html|url-status=live}} | length = 33:28 | label = [Say-10 Records](/source/Say-10_Records) | producer = Kevin Antreassian | prev_title = Everything Is a Lot | prev_year = 2015 | next_title = The Real Will Wood (Live) | next_year = 2018 | misc = {{Singles | name = Self-ish | type = studio | single1 = Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer's Prosopagnosia / Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to Fusiform Gyrus) | single1date = July 8, 2016 | single2 = Dr. Sunshine Is Dead | single2date = July 28, 2016 | single3 = 2012 | single3date = August 9, 2016 }} }} '''''Self-ish''''' (stylized as '''''SELF-iSH''''') is the second studio album by American [indie rock](/source/Rock_music) band [Will Wood and the Tapeworms](/source/Will_Wood). It was independently released on August 23, 2016, and later received distribution through [Say-10 Records](/source/Say-10). Supported by three singles and four music videos, the album was written by Will Wood and produced by Kevin Antreassian. ''Self-ish'' received a positive reception for its chaotic energy and wide range of musical influence. ==Background== Prior to release, Will Wood described ''Self-ish'' to be "about identity, ego and lack thereof".{{cite web|last=Olivier|first=Bobby|url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/2016/07/inside_the_wondrous_piano-rock_chaos_of_will_wood.html|title=Inside the tortured soul and chaotic sound of Will Wood and the Tapeworms|website=[NJ.com](/source/NJ.com)|language=en|date=July 1, 2016|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=July 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707221357/https://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/2016/07/inside_the_wondrous_piano-rock_chaos_of_will_wood.html|url-status=live}} He aimed for boldness and a lack of subtlety to strengthen his own honesty on the album. It was produced, mixed, and mastered by Kevin Antreassian of [The Dillinger Escape Plan](/source/The_Dillinger_Escape_Plan). During the creative process, Wood was unmedicated and new to therapy, which resulted in frenetic writing sessions and intense emotional experiences.{{cite web |last=Hsu|first=Caitlin|url=https://nyunews.com/arts/music/2022/04/29/will-wood-interview-in-case-i-make-it/|title=Will Wood wants to be authentic, whatever it takes|website=[Washington Square News](/source/Washington_Square_News)|language=en|date=April 29, 2022|accessdate=August 25, 2024}} ==Release== {{CSS image crop |Image = Will Wood Dressing Room Shoot-Will Wood Dressing Room Shoot-0030.jpg |bSize = 700 |cWidth = 180 |cHeight = 200 |oTop = 70 |oLeft = 120 |Location = left |Description = [Will Wood](/source/Will_Wood) in 2017 with a painted [third eye](/source/third_eye), referencing the cover artwork of ''Self-ish''. }} On July 8, 2016, "Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer's Prosopagnosia / Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to Fusiform Gyrus)" was released as the lead single of ''Self-ish''. Alongside it was a [music video](/source/music_video) co-directed by Will Wood and Adam Nawrot, featuring the band [performing nude](/source/Nude_(art)) in a [monochromatic](/source/Monochrome) room.{{cite web |last=Shrum|first=Tony|url=https://newnoisemagazine.com/will-wood-tapeworms-capgras-video/|title=Will Wood & The Tapeworms Release "Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity" Video|website=[New Noise Magazine](/source/New_Noise_Magazine)|language=en|date=July 8, 2016|accessdate=August 25, 2024}} "Dr. Sunshine Is Dead" released on July 28 as the second single,{{cite web|last=Juvinall|first=Michael|url=https://www.horrorsociety.com/2016/07/28/exclusive-will-wood-tapeworms-premiere-bombastic-single-dr-sunshine-dead/|title=Exclusive: Will Wood & The Tapeworms Premiere Bombastic Single "Dr. Sunshine is Dead!"|website=Horror Society|language=en|date=July 28, 2016|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=August 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825202115/https://www.horrorsociety.com/2016/07/28/exclusive-will-wood-tapeworms-premiere-bombastic-single-dr-sunshine-dead/|url-status=live}} followed by "2012" as the third and final single on August 9. The latter had a music video published the same day, directed by Wood with Jesse Lazarus and Maddie Schwartz. It presents the band performing in an [evidence room](/source/Evidence_board) and a party, intermittenly cutting to Wood with [body paint](/source/Body_painting) and various pieces of [oversaturated](/source/Colorfulness) or desaturated footage.{{cite web|last=Shrum|first=Tony|url=https://newnoisemagazine.com/will-wood-tapeworms-2012-video/|title=Will Wood & The Tapeworms Release "2012" Music Video|website=[New Noise Magazine](/source/New_Noise_Magazine)|language=en|date=August 9, 2016|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=August 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825202114/https://newnoisemagazine.com/will-wood-tapeworms-2012-video/|url-status=live}} ''Self-ish'' was released as Will Wood and the Tapeworms' second album on August 23, 2016.{{cite web|last=Olivier|first=Bobby|url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/2017/01/35_nj_bands_you_must_hear_in_2017.html|title=35 N.J. bands you need to hear in 2017|website=[NJ.com](/source/NJ.com)|language=en|date=January 13, 2017|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=September 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924210931/https://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/2017/01/35_nj_bands_you_must_hear_in_2017.html|url-status=live}} On May 26, 2017, a music video was released for "Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In!". Recorded in [one shot](/source/List_of_one-shot_music_videos) and directed by Mark Jaworski, it features the band performing in a busy and cluttered room through a [fisheye lens](/source/fisheye_lens).{{cite web|last=New Noise|url=https://newnoisemagazine.com/will-wood-tapeworms-hand-shovel-video/|title=Video Premiere: Will Wood & the Tapeworms – "Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In!"|website=[New Noise Magazine](/source/New_Noise_Magazine)|language=en|date=May 26, 2017|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=August 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825202114/https://newnoisemagazine.com/will-wood-tapeworms-hand-shovel-video/|url-status=live}} This was followed years later by a music video for "Dr. Sunshine Is Dead", released on September 30, 2019. It shows the Tapeworms performing on a [psychedelic](/source/Psychedelia) background while Wood shaves his head, eats [waffle](/source/waffle)s in a [patient gown](/source/patient_gown), wears body paint, and digs a hole in the ground in a thunderstorm.{{cite web |last=Nelson|first=Joshua|url=https://bleedingcool.com/pop-culture/will-woods-white-noise-resonates-harmonious-a-review/|title=Will Wood's "White Noise" Resonates Harmonious – A Review|website=[Bleeding Cool](/source/Bleeding_Cool)|language=en|date=July 19, 2022|accessdate=August 18, 2024}} On December 25, 2020, ''Self-ish'' was remastered and re-released by independent record label [Say-10](/source/Say-10). ==Songs and reception== ''Self-ish'' contains the title tracks "Self-" and "-Ish", piano [ballad](/source/ballad)s that open and close the eight-song album, respectively. They discuss Wood's [amnesia](/source/amnesia) caused by his [recreational drug use](/source/recreational_drug_use). The track "2012" additionally elaborates on this,{{cite web|last=Makin|first=Bob|url=https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/how-we-live/2016/08/28/makin-waves-chevonne-and-fuzz/89228960/|title=Makin Waves with Chevonne and The Fuzz|website=My Central Jersey|language=en|date=August 28, 2016|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=September 9, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909131148/https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/how-we-live/2016/08/28/makin-waves-chevonne-and-fuzz/89228960/|url-status=live}} a [funk](/source/funk)-oriented track with lyrics about spirituality and psychedelics. Its composition revolves around saxophone, piano, and kazoo, while the song's lyrics are sung at a fast pace. Tony Shrum of ''[New Noise Magazine](/source/New_Noise_Magazine)'' labeled it as "sarcastically-cheery drug-addled babbling", while Bob Makin of ''My Central Jersey'' referred to it as a "jazzy [acid trip](/source/Psychedelic_experience)". In an interview with the latter, Wood stated that the year marked [Quetzalcoatl](/source/Quetzalcoatl)'s return and a [tabula rasa](/source/tabula_rasa) of [existential nihilism](/source/existential_nihilism). "Cotard's Solution (Anatta, Dukkha, Anicca)" was described by Makin as a "zany, cirque de l’enfer revelry", likening it to [Danny Elfman](/source/Danny_Elfman). "Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer's Prosopagnosia / Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to Fusiform Gyrus)" is fourth on ''Self-ish'', which uses a [swing](/source/Swing_time)-[punk](/source/Punk_rock) melodic pattern. It was later included in ["Weird Al" Yankovic](/source/%22Weird_Al%22_Yankovic)'s 2024 summer playlist.{{cite web|last=Sandstrom|first=Emily|url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/weird-al-shares-his-zany-summer-playlist-with-us|title="Weird Al" Shares His Zany Summer Playlist. And His Social Security Number.|website=[Interview](/source/Interview_(magazine))|language=en|date=July 18, 2024|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=August 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826193918/https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/weird-al-shares-his-zany-summer-playlist-with-us|url-status=live}} "The Song with Five Names a.k.a. Soapbox Tao a.k.a. Checkmate Atheists! a.k.a. Neospace Government (a.k.a. You Can Never Know)" follows as a "{{-'}}50s-spirited, [gospel](/source/Gospel_music)-inspired" song, featuring Alex Nauth of [Foxy Shazam](/source/Foxy_Shazam). Dianne Miranda of ''[Gauntlet](/source/Gauntlet_(newspaper))'' included "Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In!" in a playlist of songs intended to put the listener in a state of [numbness](/source/Hypoesthesia),{{cite web|last=Miranda|first=Dianne|url=https://thegauntlet.ca/2024/05/01/gauntlet-mixtape-vol-24-brain-rot/|title=Gauntlet Mixtape Vol. 24: Brain Rot|website=[Gauntlet](/source/Gauntlet_(newspaper))|language=en|date=May 1, 2024|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=September 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902180528/https://thegauntlet.ca/2024/05/01/gauntlet-mixtape-vol-24-brain-rot/|url-status=live}} while Makin called it an "insane [funeral march](/source/funeral_march)", overall describing the album as "a circus from hell". "Dr. Sunshine Is Dead" is a [progressive rock](/source/progressive_rock) song with [latin](/source/latin_music) inspiration. It focuses on dramatic instrumentation with saxophone, guitar, and piano, additionally including trumpet by Alex Nauth. Shrum related it to "[Bohemian Rhapsody](/source/Bohemian_Rhapsody)" and detailed it as a mix of [My Chemical Romance](/source/My_Chemical_Romance) and [the Mars Volta](/source/the_Mars_Volta),{{cite web|last=Shrum|first=Tony|url=https://newnoisemagazine.com/will-wood-tapeworms-dr-sunshine-dead/|title=Will Wood & The Tapeworms Stream New Single "Dr. Sunshine is Dead!"|website=[New Noise Magazine](/source/New_Noise_Magazine)|language=en|date=July 29, 2016|accessdate=August 25, 2024|archive-date=August 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825202114/https://newnoisemagazine.com/will-wood-tapeworms-dr-sunshine-dead/|url-status=live}} while Shawn Macomber of ''[Fangoria](/source/Fangoria)'' described the track as a "gleefully deranged sonic ambience", comparing it to [Gogol Bordello](/source/Gogol_Bordello), [Mr. Bungle](/source/Mr._Bungle), and [Tom Waits](/source/Tom_Waits).{{cite web |last=Macomber|first=Shawn|url=https://www.fangoria.com/new/exclusive-premiere-will-wood-the-tapeworms-wicked-new-music-video/|title=Exclusive Premiere: Will Wood & The Tapeworms' Wicked New Music Video!|website=[Fangoria](/source/Fangoria)|language=en|date=July 8, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711074432/https://www.fangoria.com/new/exclusive-premiere-will-wood-the-tapeworms-wicked-new-music-video/|archive-date=July 11, 2016|accessdate=August 25, 2024}} ==Track listing== {{Track listing | headline = | total_length = 33:28 | all_writing = [Will Wood](/source/Will_Wood) | title1 = Self- | length1 = 2:35 | title2 = 2012 | length2 = 4:04 | title3 = Cotard's Solution (Anatta, Dukkha, Anicca) | length3 = 5:05 | title4 = Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer's Prosopagnosia / Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to Fusiform Gyrus) | length4 = 3:43 | title5 = The Song with Five Names a.k.a. Soapbox Tao a.k.a. Checkmate Atheists! a.k.a. Neospace Government (a.k.a. You Can Never Know) | length5 = 4:27 | title6 = Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In! | length6 = 5:51 | title7 = Dr. Sunshine Is Dead | length7 = 5:24 | title8 = -ish | length8 = 2:15 }} ==Personnel== Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. ;Musicians {{div col}} * [Will Wood](/source/Will_Wood) – lead vocals, piano, kazoo * Mike Bottiglieri – guitar, [theremin](/source/theremin), [power drill](/source/Drill) * David Higdon – [tenor saxophone](/source/tenor_saxophone), [soprano saxophone](/source/soprano_saxophone) * Matt Olsson – drums, percussion * Jonathon Maisto – bass guitar * Alex Nauth – backing vocals (5), trumpet (7) * Mario Conte – drums (demos) {{div col end}} ;Technical {{div col}} * Kevin Antreassian – production, [recording engineer](/source/recording_engineer), [mixing](/source/Audio_mixing_(recorded_music)), [mastering](/source/Mastering_(audio)) * Jonathon Maisto – [additional engineering](/source/Manufacturing_engineering) * David Higdon – demo engineer * Gabriel Francis – demo engineer * Will Wood – album art graphic design * Jesse Lazarus – album art photography * Adam Nawrot – logo design * Polo Itona – inner sleeve photography {{div col end}} ;Additional vocalists {{div col}} * Reese Van Riper – backing vocals * Dylan Jacobus – backing vocals * Chris McRae – backing vocals * Cheska Colombo – backing vocals * Lizzie Rowe – gang vocals * Kellyanne Zeleny – gang vocals * Timothy Simpson – gang vocals * Mike Vablon – gang vocals * Robby Stern – gang vocals * Bobby Sanner – gang vocals * Rebecca Paddon – gang vocals * Bianca Teresi – gang vocals {{div col end}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{Discogs release|17313544|Self-Ish {{noitalic|(2020 Remastered Version)}}|type=album}} {{Will Wood}} Category:2016 albums Category:Will Wood albums Category:Pop rock albums by American artists --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Self-ish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-ish) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-ish?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.