Wye Oak
"Tween"
(Merge (ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK){)
Wye Oak rebooted with 2014's "Shriek," which found Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack embracing artful synths more than the guitar/drum dreampop that dominated their first four records. "Tween's" eight songs were written and abandoned for "Shriek," but Wasner and Stack have chosen to revisit them with a fresh perspective. Good choice: They're some of Wye Oak's best, combining resonant walls of guitars with electronics that propel many songs to greater heights than on 2011's "Civilians," the band's previous high-water mark.
At times, "Tween" seems like a Cocteau Twins homage, never more so than on the near-perfect "If You Should See." But the sudden dynamic shifts _ a favorite move on Wye Oak's early albums _ and the occasional detours into electronic dissonance make songs like "Trigger Finger" and "Watching the Waiting" sound contemporary rather than nostalgic. Tween sounds more like a collection of singles than a set of outtakes; it's the sound of a band doubling down on its expanding strengths.
_Steve Klinge
