SEE & HEAR: Wye Oak - "Holy Holy"

Earlier this year, Baltimore's own Wye Oak released one of the best albums of the year with Civilian. It's now September, and it still seems people are sleeping on it. C'mon.

Anyways, one of the best tracks off of the album entitled "Holy Holy" recently received the music video treatment. For however uplifting, or affirming, their music can be, the most alluring thing about Wye Oak's sound is the beautiful shades of melancholy that ebb and flow throughout. "Holy Holy" is one of the more upbeat songs on Civilian, and it's nice to see that director Jeremy Johnstone kept the balance of light and dark in the song by setting the video in an amusement park/the boardwalk (what appears to be our state's own Ocean City Boardwalk) as well as through the use of a slightly washed out tone/coloration. A fun and wonderfully executed video...

Watch on YouTube

SEE: Photos from Wye Oak's In-store Performance @ The Sound Garden, 3/8

On Tuesday, Baltimore's own Wye Oak celebrated the release of their new album, Civilian, with an in-store performance at The Sound Garden (my second home) in downtown Baltimore. I had never seen the band live before, but had always wanted to. So, luckily for me and everyone else, the band opted to play an electric set, powering through songs off Civilian. Despite not having their full rig of equipment onstage, Wye Oak still sounded massive. Singer/guitarist Jenn Wasner's voice soared and sounded quite strong, despite being a bit under the weather. The musical union and interaction of Wasner's guitar work and Andy Stack's drumming, bass and keys riffs is something one can truly get lost in. From hushed, meditative moments to wild storms of Crazy Horse-style guitar work, Wye Oak never confine their sound to one plain of existence. Wye Oak are just as beautiful, awe-inspiring, majestic, and momentous as their namesake.

Photographer Brett Dean was on hand to shoot some photos of the event, which you can view below.

All photos by/courtesy of Brett Dean

Wye Oak's new album, Civilian, is out now on Merge (US) and City Slang (Europe). Pick it up on Amazon, Amazon MP3, iTunes, or direct from Merge / City Slang.

Listen to Wye Oak's New LP Right Now

By Natasha Tylea

In case you happened to miss it on our Twitter or don't keep tabs on NPR Music, you can listen to Wye Oak's new album, Civilian, right now before it's released next Tuesday. I've only had a chance to listen to it once all the way through, but just that one listen proved this album to be something special. Of course, I may or may not be a little biased since I live in Baltimore, but still. You'll be hard-pressed to find a band that is capable of creating the same type of mesmerizing, powerful, emotive, and deep music as Wye Oak. I'll quit my blabbing and save that for my review of the album. Check out Civilian below.

LISTEN: Wye Oak - Civilian

The band is also featured in a new article on NPR blog The Record that deals with the growth and character of vinyl records. Read "Slow and Steady: Vinyl Survives" here.

AND if you happened to miss it, MM recently shared the title track from Civilian. Check it out here.