Wye Oak is Andy Stack & Jenn Wasner out of Baltimore, Maryland. On March 29th the old North Portland flagpole that is Mississippi Studios was lucky enough to witness their second visit in just a couple of months. Coming off a well received showing at sxsw a couple of weeks earlier, and out on tour in support of their widely reviewed new album, Civilian, I was excited to get a glimpse of Wye Oak while in their process of growth. They didn't disappoint. Showcasing an improved stage presence the duo showed exactly why they've been gaining momentum recently: swells of dynamic noise, crescendos of musical racket so thick that you'd swear to yourself and others that there were more than two people up on that stage. At least you'd swear to it if you hadn't seen it live. With Jenn picking up the guitar and vocals, blending the two seamlessly, that leaves Andy to fill in the gaps on Keys, drums, and synth. Yeah, that's keys/synth with the left hand and drums with the right... At the same time. The truth is that both parts of the Wye Oak equation are very gifted. Together, they make wonderfully full music with both voluptuous body and angsty soul.
As they're still out there on tour right now I'd check them out if you get the chance, before it becomes a fighting situation for tickets. Oh and by the way, they'll be back this way in early August as they've just signed on to join NW natives in a musical celebration called Pick-A-Thon.
I recently stumbled across Wye Oak and fell in love. They helped me move to my new apartment this weekend too. Good times.
ReplyDelete