Inchworm – Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing EP

Inchworm is not very good at presentation. Their band name is terrible, Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing is a horribly cliched title for their EP, and the cover art is startlingly atrocious. However, you can throw all the negative adjectives you like at their packaging; the music within is just plain enjoyable.

On the back of the success that bands like Wilco, My Morning Jacket, and Blitzen Trapper have had recently, Inchworm’s 70’s rock-tinged songs have come along at the perfect time for the band, but they’re not just jumping on the bandwagon. They’re more straightforward than their contemporaries. No wacky synths, extended guitar noise jams, or art rock song structures. They just give you their take on some classic rock staples like The Band (“You I Aim For”), Tom Waits (“Greenhouse Grown”), and The Byrds (“Simple Days Without Money”). They even get a little New Wave-y on highlight “Learn To Grift.”

The plodding “Waltz Through The Ashes” aside, every song adds to the greater cohesive whole and establishes a nice groundwork for Inchworm to build on. The singing and lyrics are good enough, although not great, but Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing really isn’t about that. It’s about a good pop song with warm guitars and a welcoming atmosphere. Now if they could just fix that band name…