Check out ‘Civilian’, the lead single from an album of the same name by Baltimore duo Wye Oak. It’s one of those tracks that made me stop what I was doing and hunt down the full length, like in the old days. They are sure to draw comparisons to neighbours Beach House largely due to Jenn Wasner’s often heavy-lidded, otherworldy delivery, but their sound is more immediate and grounded in indie rock; witness the cataclysmic wall of feedback that cuts through the song’s galloping rhythm.
This threat of dissonance runs through the album, heightening the tension and sense of unknowing on the relatively calm ‘Plains’ and on ‘Dogs Eyes’, a song that starts out like a mutated guitar version of The xx’s ‘Islands’ before losing its nimble footing, lurching into violent, foreboding territory. Such exploration of the fragile, fleeting nature of beauty and melody have earned Wye Oak justifiable comparisons to Yo La Tengo, but unlike a lot of bands looking back to the ’90s for inspiration, they transcend affectation to create something thrilling.
Sound It Out
Sound It Out is the official film of Record Store Day 2011, which falls on 16 April this year. It tells the story of Sound It Out Records – the last record shop in Stockton-In-Tees – and the community that frequent it in one of the UK’s most deprived areas. Shot on a tiny budget raised through donations made by over 200 people, the film’s director Jeanie Finlay grew up three miles from the shop and credits it with kick-starting her love of music, a passion she doesn’t feel she could get from MP3s.
It’s been a while since I’ve set foot in a record shop. I’ve never been an audiophile and vinyl doesn’t make me go all dewy eyed. Maybe it’s down to where I grew up but as much as I enjoyed browsing the racks, I never really felt like part of a community. Saying this, the anthropological nature of docs like this is fascinating and it’ll be interesting to see the UK equivalent of last year’s excellent Record Store Day film I Need That Record.
Sound It Out premières at SXSW on Thursday. Request a screening in your town.