Wye Oak – Shriek (Merge)

Wye Oak – Shriek (Merge)

Why, Wye, why? That’s what many of the faithful wondered when they learned Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack were forgoing guitars this time out. So much of the band’s moody twilight allure was supplied by those six strings, be they deployed for effects-laden background noise or heroic lead lines. Turns out this band is fully capable of capturing that vibe with different tools — and from the sound of Wasner’s interviews, maybe only with different tools. They called it Shriek for a reason, but liberation left them sounding chiller than ever. –Chris [LISTEN]