Wye Oak - Civilian - VINYL LP

Tystnaden doesn't quite fit the mold. You see, they're an Italian band, but Tystnaden is a Swedish word, and it means something like InchQuietInch. And Tystnaden is anything but quiet.In Our Eye is the second major for the band. And it doesn't exactly sound like other Italian bands, gothic or otherwise. Italian bands have a certain melodic quality to them, the lyrics tend to be softer, the message less intense. Think bands like Evenoire or Sky Lark reviewed on this site, or Rhapsody of Fire, another similar band that fits that description. Tystnaden, on the other hand, plays hard music with a hard message, more in line with the Scandinavian heavy metal of a Tristania, Tarot or Sinergy. It's a B and B sound where the vocals are carried by the sultry Laura de Luca against the harsh death metal sounds of Lorenzo Frascaroli. Additional musicians include Cesare Codispoti on guitars, Federico Grassi on guitars, Arthur Sahakjan on bass and Alberto Iezzi on drums. Frascaroli also handles keyboards.There is a certain consistency to the music here, and some have complained that there is too little diversification to that sound. I'm not sure I agree. There is the male / female interplay, somewhat in the mode of other Italian bands like Lacuna Coil and Chaoswave. But I would argue that there is a significant difference between the vocal styles of Tystnaden and those other bands. de Luca is not an operatic vocal, not even close. Her sound is generally hard, but pleasant, she has a fine voice, she just chooses to sing with a heavy metal sound on most numbers. This isn't the typical symphonic metal, although there is a symphonic component within most of the tracks. There are, however, variations. Subterranean Gates begins with a lovely vocal track that takes the music in a softer direction, it just doesn't last. These variations, especially at the beginning of a song, are more pro

Wye Oak started as two friends (Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack) recording songwriting demos together, but their basement project has since evolved to include tours of America and Europe, and a home on legendary tag Merge Records. The Knot reflects that burgeoning confidence and comfort while maintaining the intimacy and emotional directness that are the band's hallmarks. A set of songs that sway, stretch, and scream while always reaching outward for personal connection. As ever, Andy Stack's production layers his own multi-instrumental arrangements over Jenn Wasner's woozy compositions, but musically, too, things sound more precise. There's less squalling feedback than before, but lingering violin and pedal steel bring out the droning Americana that has always informed Wye Oak's sound. Album Tracks 1. Milk and Honey 2. For Prayer 3. Take It in 4. Siamese 5. Talking About Money 6. Mary Is Mary 7. Tattoo 8. I Want for Nothing 9. That I Do 10. Sight, Flight

Vinyl LP pressing. Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack of Wye Oak have spent most of their lives in Baltimore, Maryland. But after two years of constant touring with CIVILIAN, their lauded 2011 album, they landed on opposite sides of the country with an unforeseeable future. Despite this newfound uncertainty, the two embraced their physical distance, passing ideas back and forth, allowing new work to evolve in their respective solitudes. SHRIEK is Wye Oak's fourth full-length and the culmination of their intent to express the emotional and intuitive self by acting out animalistic exclamations through cathartic . Album Tracks 1. Before 2. Shriek 3. The Tower 4. Glory 5. Sick Talk 6. Schools of Eyes 7. Despicable Animal 8. Paradise 9. I Know the Law 10. Logic of Color