Albums to watch

Civilian

Wye Oak

Civilian

The Baltimore-based duo with their 3rd album of indie folk rock

ADM rating[?]

7.7

Label
City Slang
UK Release date
07/03/2011
US Release date
08/03/2011
  1. 10.0 |   A.V. Club

    The added dynamism in Wye Oak’s music makes the prettiest passages of Civilian that much more arresting, and the demons lurking beneath them all the more real.
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  2. 9.0 |   AU Review

    Songs about loneliness have never been so exhilarating
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  3. 9.0 |   BBC

    Civilian pushes Wye Oak to the head of the nu-shoegaze pack with a record as blissed out as it is maudlin, as rootsy and tough as it is fey and introspective
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  4. 9.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Seriously, this is the best thing I've heard in six months. Classic
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  5. 9.0 |   Rave Magazine

    A rich, complex, sometimes difficult, but utterly rewarding album
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  6. 8.0 |   Mojo

    A robust, sonically gripping record. Print edition only

  7. 8.0 |   Blurt

    Unexpectedly lush, yet too delicate to be bombastic
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  8. 8.0 |   The Observer

    boasts many of the same dream-pop textures deployed by Beach House, but theirs is a more varied sound, with greater use of light and shade
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  9. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Awash with beguiling harmonies and folk-shoegaze textures. Print edition only

  10. 8.0 |   Q

    Sinewy alt-rock rubs shoulders with fairground pop and warped blues. Print edition only

  11. 8.0 |   Spin

    Alternates gorgeous currents of dread, catharsis, assurance, and doubt
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  12. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    They’re not reconfiguring the musical landscape, but like the ancient tree they’re named after, they’re putting down lasting roots
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  13. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Wye Oak have in Civilian mastered the trade of a range of subgenres - from post-rock to dream pop - and brought them together in an album
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  14. 7.9 |   Pitchfork

    Their best LP yet
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  15. 7.8 |   Beats Per Minute

    Most of the songs here are driven by Wasner’s instantly engaging vocals which, like those of Lower Dens’ Jana Hunter, can be frequently difficult to make out
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  16. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    They create their own sonic world, one you may want join yourself once you dig into its layers
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  17. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Civilian has a captivating atmosphere that is entirely its own
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  18. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    Emotionally intoxicating without being cloying
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  19. 7.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Wye Oak should be highly commended for expanding their already strong sound. Let’s just hope they leave in a tad more of their younger selves next time around
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  20. 7.0 |   DIY

    A deep and interesting affair, 'Civilian' leaves the listener older and wiser, and definitely in a mind to discover what tricks Wye Oak still have up their sleeve
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  21. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    Wye Oak know their influences in and out and work skillfully to blend them or highlight their differences as the song calls for it
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  22. 6.5 |   Prefix

    They've evolving and improving in a way that's more akin to craftsmen than artists: gradually honing and refining their songwriting,
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  23. 6.5 |   Bowlegs

    There’s much to admire here though, even if Wye Oak feels like a work in progress
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  24. 6.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    Taut with latent ferocity and brooding bitterness
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  25. 6.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    It’s when this band stick closest to their American roots that they’re most convincing
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Wye Oak: Civilian

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  • 1. Two Small Deaths £0.69
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  • 3. Holy Holy £0.69
  • 4. Dogs Eyes £0.69
  • 5. Civilian £0.69
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