Wye Oak

Add Date: March 1 

Artist: Wye Oak 

Album: Civilian 

Label: Merge 

Genre: Rock, shoegaze 

Comments: From the promoter: "Civilian is a kind of 21st-century folk music, imbued with dense shoegaze guitars, nearly melodic rhythms, and impeccable splashes of electronic color. Without leaning on conventional structure, the songs beguile with fascinating chords and melodies, Jenn [Wasner]'s voice and riveting lyrics, mesmerizing rhythms, and an intoxicating aural landscape. Just as good writing has meaning between the lines, Civilian has meaning between the sounds: the combinations of harmonies, timbres, and words summon vivid and ineffable associations just beyond reach."

A brilliant and gorgeous record from Wasner and Andy Stack, Civilian is the third LP in their canon, all of which have been released by Merge. (The band's 2007 debut If Children was self-released, but then reissued by Merge a year later.) Listening to Wye Oak, I'm reminded at times of Yo La Tengo, and at others of slowcore bands like Red House Painters and Low. Civilian also benefits from the excellent production work of John Congleton, who's worked on recent gems from the likes of St. Vincent and Shearwater.

The more I listen to Civilian, the more I like this LP, and I enjoyed it quite a bit to begin with. Start with "Two Small Deaths" and "Holy Holy."