Wye Oak - Civilian

This band has been on and off our radar for quite a bit now. Their last releases did resonate around this here office somewhat, but nothing prepared us for the sheer musical brilliance, the quantum leap that the duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack would offer up with this new album of theirs. They have really come out of their shell on Civilian.

Wye Oak wrote what become Civilian between December of 2009 and July of 2010. The songs “are, as a whole, about aloneness (the positive kind), loneliness (the horrible kind), moving on, and letting go (of people, places, and things),” lyricist/guitarist Jenn Wasner reveals.

After recording and mixing the previous two albums themselves, Wye Oak brought in mixing engineer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Shearwater), who played a pivotal role in the sound of Civilian. “JC definitely pushed us into some exciting and sometimes scary new territory,” multi-instrumentalist Andy Stack says. “It was the most that Jenn and I had ever relinquished control of our music to someone else, but it gave us a chance to step back and see the big picture, whereas on previous recordings we got embroiled in the technical details.”

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, Jennʼs 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.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Two Small Deaths 2. The Alter 3. Holy Holy 4. Dogs Eyes 5. Civilian 6. Fish 7. Plains 8. Hot as Day 9. We Were Wealth
10. Doubt

Be the first to review this record. Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!