Review Summary: An indie gem as melodic and relaxing as it is climactic and abundant in passion.
Wye Oak certainly have been gaining popularity while supporting the Decemberists on their latest North American tour. The band fuses a blend of indie, noise rock and folk into an enjoyable and unique sound. The fact that the band is only a two piece adds a certain level of admiration for the songs heard on
The Knot. The band uses a winning formula of softer verses and louder noisy choruses filled with distorted guitars and crashing cymbal work.
Singer Jenn Wasner sounds remarkably like Anna-Lynne Williams of Trespassers William fame and in no way is this a bad thing as her soothing vocals provide a great compliment to the mellow folkiness of
The Knot. While many similarities can be drawn between
The Knot and
Different Stars the biggest difference is the climaxes found on
The Knot. Trespassers William tends to make melodic indie-folk which never really reaches a crescendo in any of the songs. The instrumentation on
The Knot is complex, diverse and different. Violins, other strings and faint hints of banjo flourish here and there on songs Í Want For Nothing'and 'Talking About Money'. For the most part though, the band sticks to acoustic and electric guitars, rolling drums and simple yet audible basslines. This all combines for a record that is as folky and melodic as it is passionate and earnest. One particularly interesting fact is that drummer Andy Stack plays the drums with his feet and right hand and keyboard bass lines with his left. That multi-tasking alone would make a show from these guys interesting to watch.
Both band members were only 21 when the record was recorded. This is worth noting because
The Knot has a maturity both musically and lyrically that would probably have you guessing the band members age at least 10 years older than they were. Many of the lyrics are intelligent, cloudy metaphors dealing with love, loss and the instability of fluctuating relationships. Just deep enough to comb through without being pretentious.
An excellent album in it's own right,
The Knot deserves your time and attention if you are remotely a fan of any indie/folk music at all. This is a two-piece band with talent and raw passion. This is an indie gem, melodic and relaxing as it is climactic and abundant in passion
