Albums to watch

Shriek

Wye Oak

Shriek

The noisey Baltimore folk rock duo led by Jenn Wasner take a more synth-heavy approach to their fourth album

ADM rating[?]

7.2

Label
City Slang
UK Release date
28/04/2014
US Release date
29/04/2014
  1. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    Departures rarely sound this confident—it helps that Shriek builds off of the major songwriting strides made by Civilian
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  2. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    A powerful reminder of how refreshing and affecting bands can be if they have the confidence, self-awareness and ambition to look beyond their usual horizons
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  3. 8.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    On Shriek they giddily explore all manner of virgin realms, straying far from their roots when it comes to instruments and genre
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  4. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    The songs, from the pure pop of the title track to the squalling beats of Glory, carry mood and mystery, and, for a band known for intimacy and restraint, unexpected clout
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  5. 8.0 |   God Is In The TV

    If the block forced them back to basics, as they say to perspiration before they found inspiration, well I’m sorry for your pain Ms. Wasner, but we’ve all benefitted
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  6. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    A giant leap forward, upward and beyond
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  7. 8.0 |   Uncut

    A sustained act of seduction, a deftly conjoined conjuring of song, rhythm and mood. Print edition only

  8. 8.0 |   NME

    It’s been a long wait, but Wye Oak are beginning to blossom
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  9. 8.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    A convincing sea change that adds new layers of texture and warmth to Wye Oak’s inherently rich tone
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  10. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    It's the same two-piece but with quite different arrangements—Wasner reaches largely for the bass instead of the six-string, and Stack layers beds of keyboards over relatively simple electronic beats
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  11. 8.0 |   All Music

    It's a great and welcome surprise that's a brilliant step forward for Wye Oak
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  12. 8.0 |   State

    An album that embraces its fun side and channels Metronomy, Lower Dens, Robyn and Annie Lennox
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  13. 7.5 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    Creativity goes places we never will it to go, but surrendering to the unpredictability is all it ever takes to experience it
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  14. 7.2 |   Pitchfork

    Her voice takes up more space on this record, going deeper and flitting over Stack’s melodies with such abandon it’s as if she might float away
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  15. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    They trade guitars for haunted keyboards without changing up their songwriting
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  16. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Wasner and Stack sound like a group who’ve burst through boundaries of expectations
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  17. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    All said, it’s clear Shriek is an ambitious work
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  18. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    A pop-infused package that channels both Stack and Wasner's strengths, this is an album that seems to scratch the surface of the band's creative experimentation
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  19. 6.5 |   The 405

    Wye Oak sound a little too comfortable with the change, and it sounds lived in despite its newness
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  20. 6.3 |   Paste Magazine

    Following their muse could very well lose them fans, but Wye Oak’s fearlessness is a rare commodity in our formulaic age. You have to admire their conviction, if not always their results
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  21. 6.0 |   The Music

    On the whole though, a less engaging effort
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  22. 6.0 |   Earbuddy

    Shriek takes what made Wye Oak interesting and potent and throws it away in favor for a much less interesting approach
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  23. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    Far too few of the songs are strong enough to really engage – so Shriek wafts by in a beautifully crafted haze
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  24. 5.8 |   Consequence Of Sound

    The drone-y moments that sound the most like the old Wye Oak are its weakest
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  25. 4.0 |   Mojo

    A step backwards. Print edition only


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Wye Oak: Shriek

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