Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack have sold their guitars and bought turntables. Coming off its breakout album, 2011’s “Civilian,” Wye Oak sounds a bit refreshed, although also a bit weary.
“This morning, I woke up on the floor, thinking I had never dreamed before,” Wasner reflects in the opening of “Before,” the first track on “Shriek.” Her lyrics follow a steady electronic percussion rhythm, establishing the simple, elegant music that Wye Oak now represents. Wasner follows: “I’d tell you stories but truth be told, I can’t remember what came before.”
What came before were indie rock albums that showcased Wasner’s talents on the guitar and Stack’s ability to jam on a drum set, putting them on stage alongside acts such as The Decemberists and Dirty Projectors. “Shriek,” Wye Oak’s fourth studio album, shows that the band appears to have forgotten about its previous shoegaze-inspired rock style in place of something more akin to synthetic dream pop.
It definitely works for them – the band could already groove perfectly well, a handful of dance anthems under its belt from previous works. “Shriek” brings up a few similar tracks, this time more suited for the club scene. The group has a hidden talent for complementing heavy bass lines with the ambience of an electronic playground, and the album’s signature songs showcase this strength, including the lead single “The Tower.”
Some of the material on “Shriek” brings up questions about the source of the group’s inspiration. In “Glory,” another of the album’s highlights, Wasner aspires toward funk, but throws in some experimental elements to familiarize the mood. A simplistic keyboard solo, not unlike the band’s previous guitar solos, carries the intent of two musicians looking not to entirely rebrand themselves, but rather to mix up their diverse abilities for a satisfying, if not odd, middle ground.
Perhaps the decision to spice things up electronically came from their work with the album’s co-producer Nicolas Vernhes, known for his work with Dirty Projectors and The War on Drugs. Regardless, Wasner and Stack are clearly spending more time in the studio, working with their rhythms to make each song sound dynamically entrancing, with soft tunes and electric shrieks cutting across the music-scape.
Wye Oak’s best instrument, however, is still Wasner’s brilliance on the microphone. Like Lana Del Rey singing Neko Case’s melancholy lyrics to a St. Vincent tune, Wasner’s voice glorifies each track, seemingly controlling the melodies from every direction. Songs such as “Paradise” keep a ferocious beat, only to be trumped by the reverberating solo choir that her range provides.
When “Shriek” stops being infectious, it occasionally shows its weak side – slower efforts “Despicable Animal” and “I Know the Law” are blatantly uninteresting, a hole in the album’s otherwise upbeat, consistent pace. Experimenting too much may lead Wye Oak down this path occasionally, but the rewards outweigh the few missteps in its production.
Fans of the band’s best work, which can’t be pinpointed to any one album in particular, may approach “Shriek” with a sense of unease. But Wye Oak’s newest work is finely polished, a dreamy contrast from the dark tones that “Civilian” brought out. It competes well enough in the four-way battle for the band’s best effort – at least until Wasner’s echoing vocals begin singing answers from the seed she’s planted inside our heads.
– Sebastian Torrelio