Shriek
Studio album by
Wye Oak
ReleasedApril 29, 2014
StudioRare Book Room, Brooklyn, USA[1]
Genre
Length41:34
LanguageEnglish
Label
ProducerNicolas Vernhes
Wye Oak chronology
Civilian
(2011)		 Shriek
(2014)		 Tween
(2016)
Singles from Shriek
  1. "The Tower"
    Released: January 30, 2014
  2. "Glory"
    Released: March 18, 2014
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The A.V. ClubA−[5]
Consequence of SoundC+[6]
Drowned in Sound7/10[7]
The Line of Best Fit8.5/10[8]
MusicOMH[9]
NME[10]
Pitchfork7.2/10[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
Spin7/10[13]

Shriek is the fourth studio album by indie band Wye Oak. It was released on April 29, 2014, by Merge Records in the United States and City Slang in Europe.[1][14]

The album peaked at number 67 on the US Billboard 200.[15]

Production

The album was produced by French producer Nicolas Vernhes at the Rare Book Room Studios in Brooklyn.[1]

Release

On January 30, 2014, Wye Oak announced the release of their fourth studio album, along with the single, "The Tower".[16]

Singles

The first single from the album, "The Tower" was released on January 30, 2014. The single has been described as a "pretty melancholy track with Jenn Wasner’s smoky but downtrodden voice and the dark, pulsating synths."[17] In a review of the single, Chad Jewett of Half Cloth explained that it "offers a dub-like mélange of skittering drums and keyboard slabs. A rusted cello creaks in the background, dappling the already slightly ominous minor key burner with rustic gloom." Andy Stack, who has routinely pulled double-duty on drums and keyboard, offers a choppy back-and-fourth[sic] between the two, treating the song’s whorling organ with percussive menace, till it’s almost part of the kit.[18]

The second single "Glory" was released on March 18, 2014. Jamieson Cox from Pitchfork said the single "is nervy, charged music, buzzing like a brain in heat." While explaining Wasner had a "palpable uptick" in her voice and in the stickiness of its rhythmic hook."[19] Kyle McGovern from Spin explained the single has a "high-minded groove that benefits from Wasner’s heavenly vocals and a brief detour into itchy, electronic instrumentation."[20]

Music videos

The official music video for "The Tower" was released on April 3, 2014, and directed by American filmmaker Ben O'Brien.[21] The video features two dancing painters pirouetting through city streets and warehouses.[17]

On April 30, 2014, the music video for "Glory" was released, and directed by Michael Patrick O'Leary and Ashley North Compton.[22] The video has been described as "bizarre", as it features everyday items turning into "creepy pieces of symbolism".[23] Director Ashley North Compton explained the reason behind the "cryptic visuals": "The video explores an internal and external power struggle and a fear of loss of control—through the lens of youth, anxiety, ease, and tension. The narrative follows youth-oriented themes, colors, styles and struggles with jarring and uncomfortable characters and movements."[23]

Critical reception

Shriek was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 76 based on 24 reviews.[3] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 74 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 21 reviews.[2]

Tim Sendra of AllMusic said: "The album is built around swooning banks of synths, bleeping key-based melodies, Stack's choppy drum patterns and programs, and Wasner's bouncy basslines." While also noting, the vocals of Jenn Wasner are her "most powerful and varied yet".[4] Jon Hadusek said their album "feels like a natural progression for Wasner and Stack, with the synths handling the same rhythms and higher register melodies once reserved for the guitars. Shriek is a successful reinvention and hopefully a prelude of things to come as the band embarks on its new life."[6]

Accolades

Accolades for Shriek
Publication Accolade Rank
MusicOMH MusicOMH's Top 100 Albums of 2014
Stereogum Stereogum's Top 50 Albums of 2014
Stereogum's Top 50 Albums of 2014 – Mid-Year
Under the Radar Under the Radar's Top 140 Albums of 2014

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jenn Wasner[28]

No.TitleLength
1."Before"4:19
2."Shriek"3:39
3."The Tower"4:06
4."Glory"4:53
5."Sick Talk"4:25
6."Schools of Eyes"4:14
7."Despicable Animal"4:50
8."Paradise"4:21
9."I Know the Law"3:44
10."Logic of Color"2:59
Total length:41:34
iTunes Deluxe Version[29]
No.TitleLength
11."Glory" (DJ Keith Sweaty remix)5:38
12."Sick Talk" (Matmos remix)4:31
13."Shriek" (DJ Daylight remix)2:32
14."Despicable Animal" (Moss of Aura / Future Islands remix)4:57
15."The Tower" (Drew Swinbourne remix)4:20

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal[30] and the album's liner notes.[31]

Charts

Chart performance for Shriek
Chart (2014) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[15] 67
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[32] 21
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[33] 12
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[34] 67
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[35] 17
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[36] 13
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[37] 2

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pelly, Jenn (January 29, 2014). "Wye Oak Announce New Album, Shriek, Share "The Tower"". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Shriek by Wye Oak". Metacritic. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Sendra, Tim. "Shriek review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  5. ↑ Adams, Erik (29 April 2014). "Wye Oak strikes a dreamy reinvention with Shriek". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Hadusek, Jon (April 25, 2014). "Consequence of Sound". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  7. ↑ Maine, Sammy (April 25, 2014). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  8. ↑ Day, Laurence (April 22, 2014). "The Line of Best Fit Review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  9. ↑ Johnson, Steven (April 25, 2014). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  10. ↑ Daly, Rhian (April 25, 2014). "NME Review". NME. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  11. ↑ Brown, Harley (April 28, 2014). "Shriek review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  12. ↑ Dolan, Jon (April 29, 2014). "Rolling Stone Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  13. ↑ Ayers, Mike. "Wye Oak Shriek review". Spin. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Wye Oak – Shriek". Merge Records. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  15. 1 2 "Wye Oak Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  16. ↑ Roffman, Michael (January 30, 2014). "Wye Oak announces new album, Shriek, listen to "The Tower"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  17. 1 2 Terry, Josh (April 3, 2014). "Wye Oak's new video for "The Tower"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  18. ↑ Jewett, Chad (January 31, 2014). "Wye Oak – The Tower". Half Cloth. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  19. ↑ Cox, Jamieson (March 18, 2014). "Glory by Wye Oak". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  20. ↑ McGovern, Kyle (March 17, 2014). "Hear Wye Oak's Brainy, Buzzing New Single 'Glory'". Spin. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Wye Oak – The Tower (Official Music Video)". YouTube. April 3, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Wye Oak – Glory". YouTube. April 30, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  23. 1 2 Geslani, Michelle (May 1, 2014). "Wye Oak's super weird new video for "Glory"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  24. ↑ Hubbard, Michael (December 6, 2014). "MusicOMH's Top 100 Albums of 2014". MusicOMH. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  25. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2014". Stereogum. December 2, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  26. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2014". Stereogum. June 14, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Under the Radar's Top 140 of 2014". Under the Radar. December 12, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  28. ↑ "First Listen: Wye Oak, 'Shriek'". NPR.org.
  29. ↑ "Shriek (Deluxe Version)". Apple Music. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Credits / Shriek / Wye Oak". Tidal. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  31. ↑ Shriek (Media notes). Wye Oak. Merge Records. 2014.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ↑ "Wye Oak Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Wye Oak Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  34. ↑ "Wye Oak Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Wye Oak Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Wye Oak Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Wye Oak Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
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