Wye Oak - Tween (June 9, 2016) Album

The word “tween” implies a certain, very specific kind of awkwardness, and those implications are rarely positive. But think about it like this: Something “tween” is in the process of becoming something else, and there’s a very specific kind of beauty in that becoming. There’s something rewarding in recognizing and celebrating it—in meeting it halfway.

Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack—the band’s two halves—described these songs as “not emblematic of a step forward, but a step sideways in time.” In other words, they just didn’t make sense for album number five—which will happen at some point in the future. But just because they didn’t belong there doesn’t mean they don’t belong anywhere. To wedge them onto Shriek would’ve been dishonest; to orphan them would’ve been somewhere on the line between criminal and just plain silly.

Tween is full of gorgeous Wye Oak songs whose only crime was timing and context, made by two people at the height of their game. One minute Jenn and Andy are embracing their floatiest Cocteau Twins instinct (“If You Should See”), the next they’re back in Civilian territory a bit (“No Dreaming”), and later they’re slinky and electronic and gorgeously ‘80s (“On Luxury”).

The common thread: These are no castaways or cutouts. In fact, pound for pound, Tween might actually be more directly accessible than Shriek. It should join the pantheon of amazing not-albums of history whose names try to downplay how good they actually are, like R.E.M.’s Dead Letter Office, The Who’s Odds and Sods, maybe even Dinosaur Jr.’s Whatever’s Cool With Me.

 

so it's not reallllly a new record.

 

idk but four songs in and it's fucking awesome

 

i'm sure it is, this is the best band
i'm so excited to listen, just starting now

 

"on luxury" is so good wow

 

weird way to present the album

 

That Dead Letter Office namedrop got me super excited. On top of, you know, this being Wye Oak.

 

it flows and feels like a cohesive thing

 

Really enjoying this. What a nice surprise

 

One of the best live bands I've ever seen. Can't wait to listen to this, song in the OP is great.

 

i've never seen them live: their baltimore show was at the venue i have my season pass for but it was a no passes event...should have bought tickets, but too much other stuff was going on

 

They shouldn't have said anything about the whole 'non-album' thing. This is gearing up to be one of my favorite releases by them. I wouldn't have ever noticed.

 

Their messing with time signatures is so seamless this time around.

 

Currently in the midsts of listening to this and loving it. That explosive guitar riff in Better (For Esther) is seriously the best

 

Okay, looking ahead, and vv weird that "Watching the Waiting" is the closer. That seems like a misstep, haha.

 

good first listen, definitely wasn't blown away by it as much as shriek on first listen but civilian was a big grower for me, so we'll see.

 

Seeing them on the 31st, very excited. I've always really enjoyed their records even if I don't listen to them too often. I have to imagine they'll own live.

 

Okay, after today, I think I'm full on falling in love with this group. Put on a couple of their records while I was at work.

 

Like come on. These lyrics are fucking rocking and eerie as hell too:

And in the telling of the story
I lose my way inside a prepositional phrase
I read his lips and I see glory
But what I hear is "be afraid"