Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner spent much of the first Wye Oak record, If Children, submerging their songs of youthful love and dread in a distortion haze, but the band's new record, The Knot, starts with a bell. From the first clarion-clear note, Wye Oak's collective vision is sharpened on The Knot, a set of songs that sway, stretch, and scream while always reaching outward for personal connection.
As ever, Stack's production layers his own multi-instrumental arrangements over Wasner's woozy compositions, but musically, too, things sound more precise. There is perhaps less squalling feedback than before, but lingering violin and pedal steel bring out the droning Americana that has always informed Wye Oak's sound. If Children may not have had anything quite as dark and harrowing as "Mary Is Mary," The Knot's nearly eight-minute centerpiece, but the band has rarely been so blissfully shimmering as on "I Want for Nothing" or "Talking About Money," in which a single-note melodica pattern is willed into a powerful, emotive hook. Throughout The Knot, Wasner's lyrics explore the metaphorical possibilities of the album's title, assessing the ways (voluntary and otherwise) that our ties to other people define our experiences. The Knot encompasses romantic possibility as well as unromantic obligation.
Wye Oak started as two friends recording songwriting demos together, but their basement project has since evolved to include tours of America and Europe and a home on legendary label Merge Records. The Knot reflects that burgeoning confidence and comfort while maintaining the intimacy and emotional directness that are the band's hallmarks. Only good things can come of a band this curious, honest, and oblivious to current trends. Pay attention.
wyeoakmusic.com
www.myspace.com/wyeoak
As ever, Stack's production layers his own multi-instrumental arrangements over Wasner's woozy compositions, but musically, too, things sound more precise. There is perhaps less squalling feedback than before, but lingering violin and pedal steel bring out the droning Americana that has always informed Wye Oak's sound. If Children may not have had anything quite as dark and harrowing as "Mary Is Mary," The Knot's nearly eight-minute centerpiece, but the band has rarely been so blissfully shimmering as on "I Want for Nothing" or "Talking About Money," in which a single-note melodica pattern is willed into a powerful, emotive hook. Throughout The Knot, Wasner's lyrics explore the metaphorical possibilities of the album's title, assessing the ways (voluntary and otherwise) that our ties to other people define our experiences. The Knot encompasses romantic possibility as well as unromantic obligation.
Wye Oak started as two friends recording songwriting demos together, but their basement project has since evolved to include tours of America and Europe and a home on legendary label Merge Records. The Knot reflects that burgeoning confidence and comfort while maintaining the intimacy and emotional directness that are the band's hallmarks. Only good things can come of a band this curious, honest, and oblivious to current trends. Pay attention.
wyeoakmusic.com
www.myspace.com/wyeoak
03/15/10
Merge will be well-represented at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin this year with eight bands and two special Our Noise events. Our bands will be playing all over the city during the festival, so if you will be in Austin, keep your eyes peeled for all of the cool daytime parties being announced daily.
Our helpful flyer is below – click to make it larger & to print it to take with you! Share the link on your twitter & Facebook, too!
Spoon are headlining the NPR show at Stubbs BBQ on Wednesday, March 17 (12:15 am) and She & Him are playing a free, open to the public show at Auditorium Shores on Saturday March 20 (8 pm). Superchunk are playing a free Village Voice day party at La Zona Rosa on March 19 (3 pm).
Merge Showcase @ Cedar Street Courtyard
208 West 4th St b/t Colorado & Lavaca
Thursday, March 18th
7 PM
(from first to last)
Special Guest
Let’s Wrestle
Radar Brothers
She & Him
Wye Oak
Lou Barlow + the missingmen
The Love Language
Merge @ Homeslice Pizza’s “Music by the Slice” Party
1415 Congress Ave.
Free & Open to the public
Thursday, March 18:
1:30 pm The Love Language
2:15 pm Radar Brothers
Friday, March 19:
Noon Let’s Wrestle
3:45 Wye Oak
6:45 Lou Barlow
Also, book events!
Our Noise event @ Book People (603 N. Lamar Blvd)
Wednesday, March 17 at 6PM
Free & Open to the Public
Mac & Laura will read selections from their book, Our Noise, and will perform covers of songs from selected bands mentioned in the book. They’ll be available to sign books afterwards, too.
Our Noise panel @ SXSW Convention Center
Thursday, March 18 at 2PM
Open to convention registrants only
Michael Azerrad will moderate a Q&A-style event with Mac & Laura about Our Noise and 20 years of Merge Records.
Our helpful flyer is below – click to make it larger & to print it to take with you! Share the link on your twitter & Facebook, too!
Spoon are headlining the NPR show at Stubbs BBQ on Wednesday, March 17 (12:15 am) and She & Him are playing a free, open to the public show at Auditorium Shores on Saturday March 20 (8 pm). Superchunk are playing a free Village Voice day party at La Zona Rosa on March 19 (3 pm).
Merge Showcase @ Cedar Street Courtyard
208 West 4th St b/t Colorado & Lavaca
Thursday, March 18th
7 PM
(from first to last)
Special Guest
Let’s Wrestle
Radar Brothers
She & Him
Wye Oak
Lou Barlow + the missingmen
The Love Language
Merge @ Homeslice Pizza’s “Music by the Slice” Party
1415 Congress Ave.
Free & Open to the public
Thursday, March 18:
1:30 pm The Love Language
2:15 pm Radar Brothers
Friday, March 19:
Noon Let’s Wrestle
3:45 Wye Oak
6:45 Lou Barlow
Also, book events!
Our Noise event @ Book People (603 N. Lamar Blvd)
Wednesday, March 17 at 6PM
Free & Open to the Public
Mac & Laura will read selections from their book, Our Noise, and will perform covers of songs from selected bands mentioned in the book. They’ll be available to sign books afterwards, too.
Our Noise panel @ SXSW Convention Center
Thursday, March 18 at 2PM
Open to convention registrants only
Michael Azerrad will moderate a Q&A-style event with Mac & Laura about Our Noise and 20 years of Merge Records.
03/12/10
Less than a year after their acclaimed, dark triumph The Knot, Baltimore’s Wye Oak offer My Neighbor / My Creator, a vibrant EP that brims with melody and creative detours over five new recordings. My Neighbor / My Creator will be released today via digital download in the Merge store. The EP will be available at all other digital outlets on April 20 and the CD will be in stores on June 8. You can also buy the CD from Wye Oak at their spring tour dates.
Collaborating with outside producers for the first time, Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack’s four new songs feel loose and direct, from the tumbling opener “My Neighbor” to the propulsive “Emmylou.” “My Creator” and “I Hope You Die” begin like ballads but soon reveal unexpected layers of saxophone and percussion over Wasner’s cascading vocals. Chris and Mickey Freeland, brothers with ties to everything from Oxes’ math-rock explorations to Baltimore’s indie hip-hop scene, helmed the new EP’s recordings in their own Beat Babies studio, and they bring new textures to Wye Oak’s ever-expanding sound. There’s a heavier reliance on keyboards, culminating in Mickey’s own stunning remix of The Knot’s “That I Do” which must be heard to be believed.
Anything but a stopgap, My Neighbor / My Creator is yet another significant step forward for this young band.
Download “I Hope You Die” from My Neighbor / My Creator now!
Track Listing:
1. My Neighbor
2. Emmylou
3. My Creator
4. I Hope You Die
5. That I Do (Mickey Free Remix)
Collaborating with outside producers for the first time, Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack’s four new songs feel loose and direct, from the tumbling opener “My Neighbor” to the propulsive “Emmylou.” “My Creator” and “I Hope You Die” begin like ballads but soon reveal unexpected layers of saxophone and percussion over Wasner’s cascading vocals. Chris and Mickey Freeland, brothers with ties to everything from Oxes’ math-rock explorations to Baltimore’s indie hip-hop scene, helmed the new EP’s recordings in their own Beat Babies studio, and they bring new textures to Wye Oak’s ever-expanding sound. There’s a heavier reliance on keyboards, culminating in Mickey’s own stunning remix of The Knot’s “That I Do” which must be heard to be believed.
Anything but a stopgap, My Neighbor / My Creator is yet another significant step forward for this young band.
Download “I Hope You Die” from My Neighbor / My Creator now!
Track Listing:
1. My Neighbor
2. Emmylou
3. My Creator
4. I Hope You Die
5. That I Do (Mickey Free Remix)
01/14/10
Wye Oak just announced spring tour dates with Shearwater in support of their 2009 release, The Knot! Jenn & Andy will also be in Austin for the SXSW festival.
Spin Magazine described The Knot in their “Best Albums You May Have Missed” roundup, “Singer/guitarist Jenn Wasner’s hypnotic songwriting has obvious Americana roots, but on the duo’s sophomore full-length, her dreamy vocals artfully join ragged riffs to drummer/keyboardist Andy Stack’s layers of thunderstorm drums and surging keyboard drones.”
Preview and purchase The Knot on CD and digital download in the Merge store.
Also, listen and watch their live performance from the studios of Oregon Public Broadcasting!
Wye Oak on Tour:
1/29 Baltimore, MD G Spot
3/24 Atlanta, GA The Earl
3/25 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
3/26 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel
3/27 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
3/28 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
3/30 Cambridge, MA TT The Bear’s
3/31 Montreal, QC Canada La Sala Rossa
4/01 Toronto, ON Canada Lee’s Palace
4/02 Ithaca, NY Castaways
4/04 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
4/06 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar
4/07 Grinnell, IA Gardner Lounge – Grinnell College
4/09 Norman, OK The Opolis
*All shows with Shearwater except 1/29
Spin Magazine described The Knot in their “Best Albums You May Have Missed” roundup, “Singer/guitarist Jenn Wasner’s hypnotic songwriting has obvious Americana roots, but on the duo’s sophomore full-length, her dreamy vocals artfully join ragged riffs to drummer/keyboardist Andy Stack’s layers of thunderstorm drums and surging keyboard drones.”
Preview and purchase The Knot on CD and digital download in the Merge store.
Also, listen and watch their live performance from the studios of Oregon Public Broadcasting!
Wye Oak on Tour:
1/29 Baltimore, MD G Spot
3/24 Atlanta, GA The Earl
3/25 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
3/26 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel
3/27 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
3/28 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
3/30 Cambridge, MA TT The Bear’s
3/31 Montreal, QC Canada La Sala Rossa
4/01 Toronto, ON Canada Lee’s Palace
4/02 Ithaca, NY Castaways
4/04 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
4/06 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar
4/07 Grinnell, IA Gardner Lounge – Grinnell College
4/09 Norman, OK The Opolis
*All shows with Shearwater except 1/29
| 03.15.2010 | Memphis, TN | Hi-Tone Cafe | w/ Jana Hunter, Le Loup |
| 03.24.2010 | Atlanta, GA | The Earl | w/ Shearwater |
| 03.25.2010 | Chapel Hill, NC | Local 506 | w/ Shearwater |
| 03.26.2010 | Washington, DC | Rock and Roll Hotel | w/ Shearwater |
| 03.27.2010 | New York, NY | Bowery Ballroom | w/ Shearwater |
| 03.28.2010 | Philadelphia, PA | Johnny Brenda's | w/ Shearwater |
| 03.30.2010 | Cambridge, MA | TT The Bear's | w/ Shearwater |
| 03.31.2010 | Montreal, QC Canada | La Sala Rossa | w/ Shearwater |
| 04.01.2010 | Toronto, ON Canada | Lee's Palace | w/ Shearwater |
| 04.02.2010 | Ithaca, NY | Castaways | w/ Shearwater |
| 04.03.2010 | Cleveland, OH | Beachland Tavern | w/ Shearwater |
| 04.04.2010 | Chicago, IL | Lincoln Hall | w/ Shearwater |
| 04.05.2010 | Milwaukee, WI | Mad Planet | w/ Shearwater |
| 04.06.2010 | Minneapolis, MN | 400 Bar | w/ Shearwater |
| 04.07.2010 | Grinnell, IA | Gardner Lounge - Grinnell College | w/ Shearwater |
| 04.08.2010 | Lawrence, KS | Bottleneck | |
| 04.09.2010 | Norman, OK | The Opolis | w/ Shearwater |
| 04.10.2010 | Dallas, TX | The Loft | w/ Shearwater |
| 04.22.2010 | Phoenix, AZ | Rhythm Room | w/ Shearwater |
| 04.23.2010 | Tucson, AZ | Club Congress | |
| 04.24.2010 | Los Angeles, CA | Spaceland | |
| 04.25.2010 | San Francisco, CA | Bottom of the Hill | |
| 04.27.2010 | Portland, OR | Doug Fir Lounge | |
| 04.28.2010 | Vancouver, BC | The Biltmore Cabaret | |
| 04.29.2010 | Seattle, WA | Triple Door | |
| 04.30.2010 | Pullman, WA | The Bell Tower | |
| 05.01.2010 | Boise, ID | Neurolux | |
| 05.02.2010 | Salt Lake City, UT | the State Room | |
| 05.04.2010 | Denver, CO | Walnut Room | |
| 05.05.2010 | Albuquerque, NM | Launchpad | |
| 05.07.2010 | Austin, TX | The Parish |
The Knot (Merge) 2009
If Children (Merge) 2008
If Children (Merge) 2008
loading...
Richard Buckner [+]
| April | ||
| 17 | Brooklyn, NY | Union Hall |
Caribou [+]
| April | ||
| 19 | Manchester | Deaf Institute |
| 20 | London | Corsica Studios |
| 21 | Amsterdam | Paradiso |
| 22 | Brussels | Beursschouwburg |
| 23 | Paris | Le Point Ephemere |
| [see all] | ||
The Clientele [+]
| March | ||
| 16 | Madison, WI | High Noon Saloon |
| 17 | Chicago, IL | Lincoln Hall |
| 18 | Ann Arbor, MI | Blind Pig |
| 19 | Toronto, ON | The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern |
| 20 | Montreal, QC | Il Motore |
| [see all] | ||
The Ladybug Transistor [+]
| March | ||
| 19 | New York, NY | Bowery Electric |
Let's Wrestle [+]
| March | ||
| 18 | Austin , TX | Cedar Street |
| 21 | El Paso, TX | Black Market |
| 22 | Scottsdale, AZ | Chyro Arts |
| 23 | Los Angeles, CA | Bootleg Theater |
| 25 | San Luis Obispo, CA | SLO Art Center |
| [see all] | ||
The Love Language [+]
| March | ||
| 16 | Baton Rouge, LA | Red Star Bar |
| 18 | Austin, TX | Home Slice Pizza |
| 18 | Austin, TX | Cedar Street Courtyard |
| April | ||
| 03 | Harrisonburg, VA | Clementine Cafe' |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | The Pour House |
| [see all] | ||
Oakley Hall [+]
| April | ||
| 02 | Brooklyn, NY | Knitting Factory |
Radar Bros. [+]
| March | ||
| 26 | Los Angeles, CA | Spaceland |
The Rosebuds [+]
| March | ||
| 19 | Asheville, NC | UNCA Alumni Hall in Highsmith |
| 20 | Carrboro, NC | Cat's Cradle |
| May | ||
| 08 | Beaufort, NC | Beaufort Music Festival |
She & Him [+]
| March | ||
| 25 | Los Angeles, CA | El Rey Theatre |
| 27 | Savannah, GA | Trustees Theatre (Savannah Music Festival) |
| 29 | New York, NY | Bowery Ballroom |
| 30 | New York, NY | Bowery Ballroom |
| April | ||
| 15 | Pomona, CA | Glass House |
| [see all] | ||
Shout Out Louds [+]
| March | ||
| 23 | Rostock | MAU |
| 24 | Hamburg | Uebel & Gefahrlich |
| 25 | Berlin | Astra |
| 26 | Dresden | Reithalle |
| 27 | Munchen | Backstage Werk |
| [see all] | ||
Spoon [+]
| March | ||
| 18 | New Orleans, LA | Republic New Orleans |
| 19 | Birmingham, AL | Workplay Soundstage |
| 20 | Atlanta, GA | Tabernacle |
| 22 | Washington | 9:30 Club |
| 23 | Washington | 9:30 Club |
| [see all] | ||
Superchunk [+]
| March | ||
| 19 | Austin, TX | La Zona Rosa |
| April | ||
| 07 | Toronto, ON | Royal Cinema |
| May | ||
| 27 | Barcelona | Primavera Sound |
| June | ||
| 19 | Denver, CO | Westword Music Festival |
Telekinesis [+]
| May | ||
| 21 | Eugene, OR | Sam Bond's Garage |
| 24 | Solana Beach, CA | Belly Up Tavern |
| 25 | Los Angeles, CA | Troubadour |
| 27 | San Francisco, CA | Great American Music Hall |
| 29 | Portland, OR | Wonder Ballroom |
| [see all] | ||
Wye Oak [+]
| March | ||
| 24 | Atlanta, GA | The Earl |
| 25 | Chapel Hill, NC | Local 506 |
| 26 | Washington, DC | Rock and Roll Hotel |
| 27 | New York, NY | Bowery Ballroom |
| 28 | Philadelphia, PA | Johnny Brenda's |
| [see all] | ||
Enter your email to receive our monthly newsletter:
Stream full-length songs (at random) from our entire catalog.
Listen Now