"We might seem like robots but we're really just weirdos who act weird."We haven't heard much from Baltimore's Wye Oak since 2011's "Civilian." The album left a serious impression on listeners at the time (myself included) and a follow up was eagerly anticipated.
Following a brief detour into the realm of side projects and film and television work, the duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack have returned with an album that finds the band, once labeled folk rockers, in a decidedly new, pop and synth inspired direction with one of my favorite albums of the year so far, "Shriek."
The band has taken songs new and old on the road and made a stop at LA's El Rey Theatre this past Thursday night, finding Wasner and Stack in fine form performing favorites "Plains" and "Civilian" along new stuff, including the bouncy "The Tower" and title track "Shriek." Wye Oak's sound may have shifted gears since the duo's previous album but the band's consistency revealed itself throughout the night; when you listen past the new elements introduced in "Shriek," the newer material isn't all that much different from their earlier work.
On record, Wye Oak seemed slightly aloof, a bit distant to me so I was surprised to find a genuinely warm and at times even funny Wasner as she bantered with the audience between songs, remarking how odd it was that people stared at her as she drank from a giant glass of whiskey on stage and seeming incredibly appreciative of the show of support by fans.
Wye Oak is currently on tour in support of "Shriek," with stops planned throughout the US and Europe. For tour dates, be sure to visit their official site and follow Wasner and Stack's antics on Facebook and Twitter.
Wye Oak - El Rey Photo Gallery: 7.10.14
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