“November Was White, December Was Grey”
from the album Oohs & Aahs
2009
iTunes
In the past, Eric Elbogen, a.k.a. Say Hi, has proven difficult to take seriously, despite his knack for writing tightly focused indie-pop gems. He traded under the sophomoric name Say Hi to Your Mom — since shortened — a name that evoked the Ashton Kutcher school of frat boy humor more than it did lo-fi character studies. He put out records about vampires and robots and referenced both Star Trek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I wouldn’t have been surprised in the least if he had embraced his Internet meme-loving audience by releasing a record about ninjas and pirates.
Since moving to Seattle from Brooklyn, however, Elbogen has matured considerably. The Wishes and the Glitch, his fifth self-released album, featured songs like “Northwestern Girls,” a simple yet undeniably catchy love letter to the ladies of the Pacific Northwest. On Oohs & Aahs, Elbogen’s forthcoming album for Barsuk (his first on a label), his songwriting has grown even more confident. His voice has shriveled into a resigned sigh, not unlike that of fellow Seattleite David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones). While he’s got a ways to go as a songwriter before he’ll be penning narratives as rich as Bazan’s, Elbogen seems to have settled into a lyrical persona that suits him well. Unlike Bazan, he’s an unabashed romantic, though a hermetic lifestyle has allowed cynicism to creep into his view of the world outside of his window.
“November Was White, December Was Grey,“ perhaps the best track from what is undoubtedly Say Hi’s finest record to date, serves as the perfect example of Elbogen’s newfound maturity. His voice, double-tracked and wrapped in a thick blanket of echo, feels heavy with the weight of his words. “I’ll feel better when the winter’s gone,” he repeatedly moans over a palm-muted major chord melody. It’s the perfect anthem for these last waning days of winter. Just try not to forget that spring is, indeed, just around the corner.