Indie duo Wye Oak reinvent themselves on new album ‘Shriek’
Just about everything Baltimore duo Wye Oak were known for—heavily dynamic songwriting; folk-rock instrumentation; hooky, passionate melodies—went out the window on last year’s Shriek. For longtime fans of the band, it was a little confusing what exactly the band, made up of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, was doing. Singer-guitarist Wasner doesn’t even play guitar on the album, which had up to that point been a defining aspect to their sound. The duo was suddenly mixing bass, keys, percussion and electronics in a much more understated way than they had in the past.
“We wanted to see if we could make a record that was more subtle and nuanced, that didn’t necessarily reach out and take you by the throat, like those huge crescendos would,” Wasner says. “It’s not a synth-pop record. It’s not a rock record. It doesn’t fit any of those boxes. I think when people don’t know how to immediately categorize something, some people find that really unpleasant and confusing.”
Formed in 2006, the duo first garnered attention in the indie world with their third LP, Civilian, released by Merge Records in 2011. Music bloggers loved it, the title track—a heart-wrenching, indie-folk tune with extreme loud and quiet sections that would make the Pixies proud—got placement in a handful of shows, including AMC’s zombie hit The Walking Dead, and they toured non-stop. But after a couple of years of heavily promoting the record, Wasner felt creatively stifled.
“In the past, we wrote a lot for our live shows. One trick that works is the big bursts of volume. That was something we as a two-piece took advantage of—it made it on our records, too. I think Andy and I both felt that we had exhausted everything we could do with that,” Wasner says.
A lot of music publications reported that Wasner grew sick of the guitar, which isn’t really the case, she explains. She was used to writing songs on a single instrument, and felt like she’d run out of ideas doing it that way, regardless of instrument. What did appeal to her was tracking multi-layered songs on her computer. Shriek is not only different because it’s so centered on keyboards and electronic bass, but also in the careful crafting of the songs.
“I was able to capture more complex ideas from the start, during the actual writing stage of the process, as opposed to sitting down with a guitar and strumming a few chords and writing a melody to it,” Wasner says. “I was able to work with—through the magic of technology—any instrument I desired as I was writing. It changed the way I was able to write. Honestly it changed my life.”
This process was necessary too, as Stack moved first to Portland, then to the small artist community of Marfa, Texas, with Wasner staying in Baltimore. She was able to craft entire songs and email them to Stack, and they could work on them that way. However, Wasner says, even if Stack hadn’t moved, this is exactly how they would have written Shriek. It was just what was working for her.
The overall reception to Shriek has been mixed. The melodies are surreal, and the production is spacey and ethereal, with a much more gentle, almost new-age synth-rock ’80s sound. But the band members are really happy with the record, and think it’s their best songwriting to date.
“It wasn’t a step forward from a sales perspective or a notoriety perspective. To be honest with you, Andy and I kind of melt down under that level of scrutiny. We would both be very content to operate in that middle realm indefinitely. I think we both feel very strongly that bigger is not necessarily better,” Wasner says.
Wasner says the next album could be completely different. She doesn’t really know.
“The second you find a formula that works, it doesn’t work anymore. You have to keep yourself on your toes. I feel like there are people that hear what we went through to make it, and they’re like, ‘Oh that makes perfect sense,’” Wasner says. “We’re making records for us, and hopefully some other people. People are going to love it, and hate it. People are going to change their minds. I have always loved it, and that means more to me than anything.”
INFO: 9 p.m., Thursday, July 23, Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $15/$20, 429-4135.
