Echoes of the Self: Deciphering the Emotional Landscape in the Linguistic Shifts of an Artist’s Albums

 

An introduction to Will Wood:
Since 2016, Will Wood has been a debuting artist, becoming prodigious singer and songwriter who has made his mark in the Western indie music under the titles of Will Wood and The Tapeworms, and Will Wood. He is famous for his rich mixtures of lyrical melodies which engage the audience in a deep and empathic listening experience. Wood was able to get the respect of over one million listeners with his deep, raw, and sincere music. Wood has released five total albums, touching various impactful and alluring themes through a variety of sounds. The three albums we studied were called “‘In Case I Make It'”, “The Normal Album”, and “Self-ish”. Each of these mark a distinct time in Wood’s artistic evolution and expression of himself in a vastly developed way. Our research question asked what could be told about the headspace that the author was in while writing the different albums based on the language used.

Albums Referenced:

“In Case I Make It”  

The Normal Album 

Self-ish

Interview with Avant-Garde Artist Will Wood – SCAD Radio

*~Cicada Days, Annotated~*

*~Cicada Days Official Lyric Music Video~*

*~Caden’s Analysis~*

*~Robin’s Analysis~*

*~General Data Analysis and Display~*

This project was made possible by:

Caden Cole, Robin Nguyen, Gia Mathas, Ryan Backus

Source credited:

Woods, W. (2016). Self-ish. [Album]. Say-10 Records.

Woods, W. (2020). The Normal Album. [Album].  Say-10 Records.

Woods, W. (2022). In case I make it. [Album]. Say-10 Records.