"...Well, Better Than the Alternative" is a song by American musician Will Wood. It was released via Say-10 on June 26, 2020, as the third single for his third studio album, The Normal Album (2020). The track was written years earlier as a Will Wood and the Tapeworms song, with lyrics centered around Millie Bobby Brown's portrayal of Eleven in Stranger Things. It features an up-tempo pop composition with piano, straying from his typical sonic range. A music video was released alongside the single, featuring paintings of Wood animated with EBsynth.
| "...Well, Better Than the Alternative" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Will Wood | ||||
| from the album The Normal Album | ||||
| Released | June 26, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2019 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:14, 4:16 (2024 edit) | |||
| Label | Say-10 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Will Wood | |||
| Producer(s) | Jonathon Maisto | |||
| Will Wood singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "...Well, Better Than the Alternative" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editShortly after his second studio album, SELF-iSH (2016), Will Wood claimed that he had a daughter named Millie.[4] This was a lie;[5] in reality, he was referring to British actress Millie Bobby Brown, known for her role as Eleven in Stranger Things. Wood began writing a song with the show and her character as the subject,[6] performing it in early 2017 as "Still Pretty (Millie Rolls a 7)" with his band Will Wood and the Tapeworms.[7] It was later released as a bonus track of the live album The Real (2018) under the shortened title "Millie Rolls a 7".[8]
Once Wood began writing and producing material for his third studio album, The Normal Album (2020), he considered the song the easiest to produce for having demos made long in advance.[9] Wood then renamed the song as "...Well, Better Than the Alternative", stating its relevance to the song's meaning and that he preferred it over its former title.[10] It was revealed as the fifth song on the tracklist for The Normal Album in May 2020.[11]
Composition
edit"...Well, Better Than the Alternative" is an upbeat song, with avant-pop melodies juxtaposing the track's lyrics. Its instrumentation builds throughout the track, climaxing during the final chorus with Addison Herron-Wheeler of New Noise Magazine describing it as "Wood's vocal performance tak[ing] on an anguished energy".[5] It was produced by Jonathan Maisto,[12] with Wood noting its tonal difference from his other work.[9] The song's meaning is intentionally ambiguous; some lyrics acting as "conceptual red herrings" to obstruct Wood's intention and make fan interpretations more varied.[13]
Music video
editA music video for "...Well, Better Than the Alternative" was released alongside the single on June 26, 2020. The video begins with footage of Wood playing a video game, later transitioning into a painted rendition of the same shot with a shadowed figure behind him. Throughout the song, Wood and the figure are depicted in various actions and poses with paintings overlaying them as a filter-esque animation. During the bridge, Wood offers a game controller to the figure, which results in the two interacting together for the rest of the song.[5]
The video was created by Will Wood and Chris Dunne in collaboration with Sorin Michaels, a subscriber of Wood's Patreon. The latter frequently shared fan made animations of previous Will Wood and the Tapeworms music videos with the Patreon community, which led to Wood hiring Michaels to revolve a new video around the animation style.[citation needed] Dunne, who previously co-created The Real Will Wood (2020), filmed scenes of Wood in his unfurnished home for the video, which had key frames painted over by Wood and Michaels.[5] The latter used EBsynth to apply live footage of Wood with the handmade paintings, making it appear animated.[citation needed] Wood edited the animated footage together, finalizing the video for "...Well, Better Than the Alternative".[5]
Personnel
edit- Will Wood – lead vocals, piano, ukelele, bass guitar, backing vocals
- Jonathon Maisto – production, recording engineer, mixing, mastering
- Matt Berger – saxophone
- Vater Boris – upright bass
- Mike Bottiglieri – guitar
- Mario Conte – drums
- Victoria Goettel – viola
References
edit- ^ New Jersey Stage (August 21, 2020). "Will Wood Releases Lyric Video For "Marsha, Thankk You for the Dialectics, but I Need You to Leave"". New Jersey Stage. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ Herron-Wheeler, Addison (July 9, 2020). "Album Premiere: Will Wood - The Normal Album". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ Blum, Jordan (September 10, 2020). "Will Wood Works His Madcap Magic On "BlackboxWarrior – OKULTRA [Live in Studio]" (Premiere)". PopMatters. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ Makin, Bob (October 16, 2016). "Makin Waves with Will Wood & the Tapeworms". My Central Jersey. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Herron-Wheeler, Addison (June 25, 2020). "Video Premiere: Will Wood - '... well, better than the alternative'". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ Nelson, Joshua (July 12, 2020). "Review: Will Wood's "The Normal Album" – Anything But, And Better". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ Coffee Haus Studios (January 24, 2017). Will Wood and The Tapeworms - ...Well, Better than the Alternative (YouTube video). Green Bean Films. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ "The Real - Album by Will Wood and the Tapeworms". Spotify. February 14, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Nelson, Joshua (April 1, 2021). "Interview: Will Wood, On His New Documentary, "What Did I Do?"". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ Shumaker, Shannon (June 23, 2020). "Will Wood Reinvents Himself on "The Normal Album": "There Was Nothing That Couldn't Be New"". Prelude Press. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ New Jersey Stage (May 28, 2020). "Will Wood To Release "The Normal Album"". New Jersey Stage. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ New Jersey Stage (July 1, 2020). "Will Wood Releases Music Video For "... well, better than the alternative"". New Jersey Stage. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ Nelson, Joshua (July 5, 2020). "Even More "Normal" Interview Questions With Musician Will Wood". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 21, 2024.