Wye Oak

Civilian was one of my favorite albums of 2011 and they have a new album, Shriek, coming out so I thought I'd start this thread about them.

They just debuted a song from Shriek, "The Tower", on All Songs Considered. http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2014/01/28/265734799/new-mix-wye-oak-ratking-john-lurie-more

afraid to listen - I love them, but one thing I love about them is Jenn is a fucking awesome guitarist. I love to hear her play. I am not really lacking for bands with synths

Don't worry, it sounds nothing like Dungeonesse (I didn't have a problem with them, ftr)

the streaming track sounds good, doubtful about a whole guitar-less album though.

nice band who didn't (yet?!) make a really great record from start to finish imo

this is dope, honestly i was a little disappointed that Civilian was more of a 'what they always do' Wye Oak record after the My Neighbor / My Creator EP suggested a new direction, so an album like this is overdue imo. they're brilliant songwriters, they can use whatever instruments they want.

^^ YUP exactly same. i think "take it in" is their only heavy guitar song i've really loved while i love pretty much every song they've ever done with different instruments

wld be happy if they were just a classic old guitar/sax combo

Hadn't heard anything from Dungeonesse, but I did like the track they did for the Adult Swim singles series a few years back which was kind of different for them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-7dTjgn7dc

Of course that was still guitar based.

civilian is probably my favorite record of the past 5 years or so, so if they can recapture any of the magic of that for me, i don't care what instruments they're using to do it

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/tlg/4319345019.html

Merge posted another song off the album: https://soundcloud.com/mergerecords/wye-oak-glory

Like this a lot more than "The Tower". Way more excited for the album now (not like I wasn't before).

Not really liking any of these new songs, but this is better than "The Tower," which still feels about 9 minutes long every time I play it.

I'm gradually resigning myself to the reality that I probably won't like this record—the band's keyboards are so languid and chintzy; they just sound shitty to me—but I've got nothing but respect for them for going all in on a record age-old fans like myself were probably destined to dislike. Kudos to them; they've given me enough great music that I can't begrudge them a bum album.

The new album is fantastic. As with most albums, some songs work better than others, but taken as a whole, it's all really beautiful, shimmering synths and all. Sorry for the clichés, it's late and I'm stupid.

Yeah this is really good. Feel silly for doubting them (even if I still can't crack "The Tower")

yeah enjoying this

first and last tracks are the best i think

some footage i dug up from whartscape 2010, "civilian" and "that i do"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKKK4QxaX00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMInRXLH34c

Brad alerted me to this cover of Pat Benatar's "We Belong" and I love it more than life:

http://www.avclub.com/video/wye-oak-covers-pat-benatar-announces-big-tour-234480

New album out now, doncha now:

http://pitchfork.com/news/65996-wye-oak-announce-new-album-tween-share-watching-the-waiting-video-watch/

Second time through it now and so far so good. "No Dreaming" is an early favorite for me.

i'm excited to hear this, since it's basically material they discarded in making The Shriek and it really seemed like they had to tear everything down and build it back up to make that album.

this band is so fucking good

don't like that new track

Hate this LP on first listen, in the same way I hated Shriek (seemed muddy and overcluttered and underwritten). But I'm enjoying the hell out of it my third time around; the songs are really opening up.

i don't think i could listen to an album 3 times in one day without hating it from overexposure

I think I was afraid if I didn't give it another chance I'd never get back around to it tbh. Now I'll probably shelf it for a while, but I'll be excited to return to it

I don't know about the rest of the album yet, but I'm mesmerized by "If You Should See".

Really excited to hear this. I'm shocked that this thread is so short, and that this band didn't get a thread here til 2014. If Children and The Knot are two of my favorite records of that era. There were so many great bands in Baltimore in the aughts and they were always among the best. I saw them dozens of times, and I'm still kicking myself for taping an entire 2008 show save for one song they never released, "Half a Double Man." One of the most rocking songs they ever did, and I can't find any document of it online. Sorta sounded like Deerhoof.

didn't know about the Flock of Dimes record until now but it's great! it's pretty much just like having another Wye Oak record

yeah it's great 👌

pretty sure it'd be my 2nd favorite wye oak record after civilian if it was one. its that good

New album info!

https://pitchfork.com/news/wye-oak-announce-new-album-share-new-song-listen/?mbid=homepage-more-latest-and-video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO7ffikJOE4

this new song is great, i love the mangled distorted guitar part in the chorus

btw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oIX-RUjVhg

Album is out. It's fantastic. Think I'll go buy it rn.

Slightly less hyperbolic second take: Side 2 loses a bit of focus in the middle, and it needs an epic closing track - as it is, the record just ends. Side 1 is perfect though.

Parts of this are spectacular. "Lifer" in particular is just beautiful.

This album is the best album.

I was kinda cold on this album at first but it's really growing on me - the last few songs in particular.

Growing on me, too. I like the really fast / herky-jerky one on side 2.

This is so good! I love how, for all the sweep and the swooning and the Liz Fraserisms, there's nearly always something to hook into rhythmically as well, it doesn't sacrifice momentum for atmosphere.

this is their best one since they went synthpop

<3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8GdRtQi7VA

wyeoakteau twins

Works for me. I really like "The Louder I Call", though I went back to "Tween" and felt there just wasn't enough there to keep my interest, it just felt too insubstantial and gauzy.

finally got around to this and it's the best music in the world

Looking forward to finally seeing them next week.

Yeah this is like my platonic ideal of a modern indie rock record, and there’s so much to focus on that it’s easy to overlook the frequently, subtly great lyrics (“and my whole life is in that space: after the cut, before pain”).

"It Was Not Natural" might be my song of the year, need to keep trying with the rest.

Can't believe it's been 10 years since "Please Concrete" hooked me for life.

it is an excellent record though I think civilian will always be my favorite

yeah I love them all but If Children has always been my favorite. they had this sick song called "Half a Double Man" circa 2008, when they were writing and playing out all the songs that ended up on The Knot. I lost the only bootlegs I had of them playing that song... it was sort of like Deerhoof but heavier.

I can still hum & drum it

https://web.archive.org/web/20160401011739/http://www.avclub.com/video/wye-oak-covers-pat-benatar-announces-big-tour-234480

leaving this here for anyone like me who needs the occasional fix

pretty sure i ripped that

― mookieproof, Monday, July 9, 2018 2:49 PM (seven months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yo mookie hook me up i am a technological idiot

https://www.sendspace.com/file/gwaeq5

thank u

my favourite cover version

I really love "Evergreen". Seems like a one-off done for some Adult Swim compilation? I don't know much about this band. I liked their last album alright, but never went back. Now I'm re-listening to that as well as sifting through their back catalog.

Hey, I missed that one, thanks for the tip! Adored their last album, nice to hear they're still moving in the same direction.

Just read in a Washington Post review of Bon Iver live, that Jenn Wasner is part of the five-piece band backing Justin Vernon/ Bon Iver on this tour

"In addition to releasing new material, the group is mounting their most ambitious tour yet. Called JOIN, the tour will feature a newly expanded live band performing not only Wye Oak’s music but songs from Stack and Wasner’s respective solo projects, Joyero and Flock of Dimes, and beyond. These performances will include new music, re-imaginings of songs from deep in their catalog, and hidden gems spanning their parallel creative work."

new song is wonderful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_pu_oCb3ic

20 minute No Horizon EP out, a collaboration with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. First track "AEIOU" is gorgeous. Reminds me a little of Beach House with those drums and guitars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaLp_0_r2P8

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/wye-oak-no-horizon-ep/

Yeah this is lovely - though the use of a children’s choir throughout reminds me oddly of Verspertine.

new flock of dimes record seems like it's gonna be fucking amazing based on the singles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy7X5QrpREs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWRjozAXqaw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0WqYjvU6vI

Roxor!

this album is outrageously great

wow at "price of blue"

album of the year for me so far, feels like it might end up my favorite overall Wasner thing that isn't Shriek

Love the bits of this flirts with country. I can almost imagine an Emmylou Harris harmony on "Awake for the Sunrise."

this album is really good

what is with the rhythm on "two" though? is it in 15/16 or something?

it's so close to being 4/4 but just slightly off-kilter that it's a really strange listen. i can't actually think of any other songs that do the same thing

got that “springtime in Durham second shot” feeling pic.twitter.com/0Aqta6YyXs

— Jenn Wasner (@flockofdimes) April 9, 2021

good lord is this excellent. very much in the vein of the last wye oak album which i also absolutely loved.

what is with the rhythm on "two" though? is it in 15/16 or something?

― ufo, Monday, April 12, 2021 3:06 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

i think it is in 4/4 but syncopated so the downbeat hits a little before the 4 beat. could be wrong. the chorus is absolutely in 4/4, tho.

i considered that possibility but it never quite seemed to line up when i counted and she said in an interview it's in a 'weird time signature' which makes me more convinced it's not just a syncopated 4/4

a friend says they think it's in 7/8 but that never quite seemed to line up either for me either, seemed to be between that and 4/4 which is how i got to 15/16. maybe the syncopation just threw me off and i counted wrong though

i am probably going to try transcribing it sometime to be sure because this has been bugging me all week lol

this article thinks it's in 7/4: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/thesampler/audio/2018790776/the-sampler-pixie-williams-voom-flock-of-dimes

feels like it could be, i think i was assuming a lower bpm.

Sounds like 7/8 to me

I also hear it as 7/8 (4+3) all the way through on a quick listen

I think that although the first snare hit always seems to land on the 3, sometimes (in strong bars?) maybe the second snare hit is a little early and lands between 6 and 7, while sometimes it's right on the 7, but I think there's always a bar of 7?

ooh, new Flock of Dimes comp gonna have a "Weakness in Me" cover. not to mention an "Amelia" one. and the new songs released so far are great.

some of the solo versions on the flock of dimes comp are just astoundingly gorgeous. especially a fan of this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kDLBTm9CYA

I saw Jenn as Flock of Dimes opening for Sylvan Esso several years back and was really impressed. Kind of lost touch with her/them. The comments here about last year's album are very encouraging.

Jesus that's good

Details here. Thanks VC.

https://www.subpop.com/news/2022/04/14/flock_of_dimes_head_of_roses_phantom_limb_available_today_on_all_dsps

have heard absolutely zero chatter about the new album that they apparently released today

Don't think it's an album but a collection of singles they've released in the last few years with a few new songs

ah ok, that makes more sense

And those singles were pretty damn good!

new Flock of Dimes in October !!

https://flockofdimes.bandcamp.com/album/the-life-you-save

hell yeah

please save me new flock of dimes record in october

blessed

saved by flock so many times, once more couldn't hurt

really enjoying the Flock of Dimes