Quarterlifeparty

Seems like BrooklynVegan was pretty impressed seeing Wye Oak live. I can’t say i’m surprised.

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.

UPDATE: Stereogum was a fan too:

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.

Tags: , wye oak