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Wye Oak came out with a new EP today titled My Neighbor/My Creator and based on this song alone it sounds pretty damned good. Jenn Wasner’s voice is as good as ever (with a nice effect added) and i hear some new sounds on this that i hadn’t heard on previous songs. Are those horns? Really adds to the already nice atmosphere the band creates.
So we’re excited about Shearwater’s upcoming album, and especially to see them live (their 2008 show we saw was nothing short of epic)..what can make it better? One of our fav local (and national) bands, Wye Oak, is opening for them..that’s what.
The only downside is they’re playing the horrible Rock & Roll Hotel in DC (3/26). You gotta get there early for a good spot in that joint. Done and done.
One of our favorite local bands Wye Oak are set to release their sophomore album The Knot tomorrow and it’s a must listen. It’s rare that a band can not only match their debut album, but go above and beyond it…which Andy and Jenn find themselves doing on this one. Very good album, and if you’re in baltimore be sure to check them out at ottobar tomorrow for their cd release party.
I have been listening to Wye Oak’s upcoming sophomore release The Knot (out 7/21) for about a week now, and I can’t say enough good things about it. Living in baltimore I have been able to hear them play a lot of the songs off of it at live shows around town, but the thing that strikes me most about the album is the song’s that are totally new to me.
“Tattoo” really takes the bands sound to another level, leveraging the shoe gaze style even more so than in their previous album and creating a song with tons of layers and atmosphere. “Talking about Money” has a part in the middle with a great guitar “freak out” that just explodes before Jenn’s vocals lull us back to sanity. It’s great to see their sound evolving in a good way; something not every band can say on their sophomore album.
Well, i’m back from Vegas…maybe some brain cells short, but hopefully the 21 hours of sleep i got in the past 24 hours has helped in that department. I am still playing catchup, but wanted to mention the items below before they become “old news”:
Baltimore’s own Wye Oak have finished recording their follow up album, The Knot (out July 21st), and i am about to give it my first listen today. I have been waiting for this album ever since they released If Children independently back when they were named Monarch…wow, that’s a blast from the past. Since then, they have been picked up by Merge Records and have been getting a ton of Press…way to go Andy and Jenn! Here is a song off the album:
Speaking of Wye Oak, they are playing Rufustival this saturday (6/6) at the Metro Gallery as part of their 2-year anniversary Celebration. Along with Wye Oak is a great lineup featuring: A Place To Bury Strangers, The Water, The Dirty Projectors, Chairlift, The Sky Drops, Thrushes, Ecstatic Sunshine, Baby Aspirin, Pianowire, Eureka Birds. The festival starts at noon and runs all day and night. You can get tickets for a super cheep $25 here. (A portion of the proceeds go to BARCS animal fund.)
If your not feeling that and are looking for something else to do this saturday in Baltimore, The Creative Alliance is holding Dude Fest! The Big Lebowski Tribute Party at The Patterson Theater. It will feature “a celebration of all things Lebowski: Film screening! Wii bowling! White Russians! Costume contest! Live music by Big Blow & The Bushwackers!” Tickets are $12 adv. and $15 at the door. Details here.
This friday The Senator, will be holding “Save The Senator: A Baltimore Revue” as a benefit for the Baltimore landmark theater. The night will feature performances by Wye Oak, The Payola Reserve, Jana Hunter and more. They will also be auctioning off a custom/signed Paul Reed Smith SE guitar, offering food from golden West Cafe, and have a full bar. The cost is $12, or $20 for 2, and doors open at 8 with the music starting at 9.
Proceeds will assist The Senator’s transition into a community owned non-profit facility, offering a wide variety of live music concerts, HD simulcasts, films and special events.
I wanted to highlight at least one band who played the show. That’s Wye Oak. It was the Baltimore duo’s first show of this CMJ and they were the surprise hit of the whole day. Friendly Fires may have had the biggest draw, but Wye Oak is probably the band on the bill that gained the most new fans (not to mention the band with the most gear, especially on the gear to member ratio) (they make good use of it though). They played the second stage upstairs (usually reserved for singer-songwriters) while Sebastien Grainger was rockin’ downstairs on the main stage and, not that it’s a competition, but I think Wye Oak ended their set with the bigger crowd.
Jenn Wasner’s mix of sultry country-inflected crooning, flipping to booming and overdriven guitars alongside Andy Stack’s multi-tasking behind kit, keyboards, and harmonies, was a lesson in making the most of few members and basic command of songcraft. The duo’s 2008 release If Children fed most of the group’s 45 minutes, but it was the new stuff with its bigger hooks and bigger dynamics, that got the biggest crowd response. Not sure when it’ll be done, but add that forthcoming record to your shopping list.
This sunday, baltimore-ites Wye Oak and Caleb Stine will put their creative juices together at the Metro Gallery for a night of live music called Hope Night, which will serve as a benefit for the Obama Campaign. Wye Oak described the reason for the event in a recent email:
My friend Caleb and I were walking in Hampden a couple weeks back when we came across an Obama campaign sign which had been defaced with racist remarks. It got us talking about the mean-spiritedness which has filled this campaign season, and also about how important the upcoming election really is. Long story short, we decided to host an event focused on hope and positive change to benefit the Obama campaign. There will be performances by Wye Oak and Caleb Stine, short films chronicling this historic campaign, several speakers, and, most importantly, Obama cupcakes.
Wye Oak played a daytrotter session today and you can listen to the songs here. Among them are two new songs, “Mary is Mary” (see description below) and “Remember Above”. They also play Andy’s Song “Archaic Smile” (the other one he does on the album is “Regrets”) which are two of my favorite songs that I never get a chance to hear live because he has to play drums and keys at the same time (what? you can’t sing too? ..slacker).
On “Mary is Mary”
We live in Baltimore, which is a wonderful city, but certainly one with a bit of an underbelly. I wrote this song after a week in which there was a dead body found in the woods behind our house.
Just got an email from Wye Oak about pitchfork premiering their new video for “Please Concrete”. Pretty impressive first video. I recognize some of the shots being near the Hopkins campus and a bridge over to druid hill park. Love the grey tones too.
