The romantically linked duo that is Wye Oak – Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack – take what some may call shoegaze and push it in a vast swath of directions. If Children constantly flirts with folk, without being able to commit. It ranges from the jangly, distorted, feedback-laden single, “Warning”, to the laid back, sleepy-eyed, “Archaic Smile”. Surprisingly, both Jenn and Andy lend their voices to the album without anything lost when trading off songs. For a twosome, the Baltimore couple makes a considerable amount of noise on the album.
Wye Oak opens If Children quietly with the female half of the duo delicately becoming the center of attention with “Concrete”. Other than a 30 second jam session thrown in around the two minute mark, Jenn calmly welcomes you to the album. Next up is the aforementioned single, “Warning”, which is also my favorite track off of the album; Jenn leads the way once again while a pressing bass line and feedback push her onwards. Andy takes over the vocals on the third track, “Regret”, which is a low-key acoustic song with stray piano notes and rolling cymbals in the background. This album is damn-near impossible to pin down. After two slow jams, one the slowcore-leaning “Archaic Smile”, on which they share vocal duties; and the other, the nearly-folk “Family Glue” with Jenn at the helm, Wye Oak picks up where “Warning” left off with another indie rock song laced with feedback. And that’s only half the tracks.
If Children, with a couple exceptions, remains at a leisurely pace throughout. However, Wye Oak is at its best when they show their teeth, pick up the pace, and get sloppy. With their next effort I would like to see them reverse the formula: more jangly indie rock and less atmospheric shoegaze. Considering this is their first try, If Children is certainly reason enough to ensure that whatever form Wye Oak’s second album takes, we will be listening.
