Shriek (album)

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Shriek
Studio album by
Wye Oak
ReleasedApril 29, 2014
StudioRare Book Room, Brooklyn, USA[1]
GenreIndie pop
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[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The A.V. ClubA−[4]
Consequence of SoundC+[5]
Drowned in Sound7/10[6]
The Line of Best Fit8.5/10[7]
MusicOMH[8]
NME[9]
Pitchfork7.2/10[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Spin7/10[12]

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][13]

The album peaked at number 67 on the US Billboard 200.[14]

Production[edit]

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

Release[edit]

On January 30, 2014, Wye Oak announced the release of their fourth studio album, along with the single, "The Tower".[15]

Singles[edit]

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."[16] 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.[17]

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."[18] 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."[19]

Music videos[edit]

The official music video for "The Tower" was released on April 3, 2014, and directed by American filmmaker Ben O'Brien.[20] The video features two dancing painters pirouetting through city streets and warehouses.[16]

On April 30, 2014, the music video for "Glory" was released, and directed by Michael Patrick O'Leary and Ashley North Compton.[21] The video has been described as "bizarre", as it features everyday items turning into "creepy pieces of symbolism".[22] 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."[22]

Critical reception[edit]

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.[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".[3] 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."[5]

Accolades[edit]

Accolades for Shriek
Publication Accolade Rank
MusicOMH MusicOMH's Top 100 Albums of 2014
70[23]
Stereogum Stereogum's Top 50 Albums of 2014
4[24]
Stereogum's Top 50 Albums of 2014 – Mid-Year
21[25]
Under the Radar Under the Radar's Top 140 Albums of 2014
9[26]

Legacy[edit]

On February 20, 2024, the band announced that for the album's tenth anniversary, they would release Shriek: Variations, a collection of five songs from the album – "Before", the title track, "Sick Talk", "The Tower", and "Logic of Color" – reworked by American electroacoustic composer William Brittelle.[27] The band had previously worked with Brittelle on his 2019 album Spiritual America.[27] On the new project, Stack said "It's like looking at the songs in a funhouse mirror. The songs on Shriek can be stripped down or embellished – this is maximal embellishment. William took the album and blew it to smithereens, looking at it in a weird, prismatic way."[27] Shriek: Variations was released on March 22 by Merge Records.[27]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Jenn Wasner[28]

Shriek track listing
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
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[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Shriek
Chart (2014) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[14] 67
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[29] 21
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[30] 12
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[31] 17
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[32] 13

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Pelly, Jenn (January 29, 2014). "Wye Oak Announce New Album, Shriek, Share "The Tower"". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Shriek by Wye Oak". Metacritic. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Sendra, Tim. "Shriek review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  4. ^ Adams, Erik (29 April 2014). "Wye Oak strikes a dreamy reinvention with Shriek". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Hadusek, Jon (April 25, 2014). "Consequence of Sound". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  6. ^ Maine, Sammy (April 25, 2014). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  7. ^ Day, Laurence (April 22, 2014). "The Line of Best Fit Review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  8. ^ Johnson, Steven (April 25, 2014). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  9. ^ Daly, Rhian (April 25, 2014). "NME Review". NME. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  10. ^ Brown, Harley (April 28, 2014). "Shriek review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  11. ^ Dolan, Jon (April 29, 2014). "Rolling Stone Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  12. ^ Ayers, Mike. "Wye Oak Shriek review". Spin. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  13. ^ "Wye Oak – Shriek". Merge Records. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  14. ^ a b "Wye Oak Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  15. ^ Roffman, Michael (January 30, 2014). "Wye Oak announces new album, Shriek, listen to "The Tower"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  16. ^ a b Terry, Josh (April 3, 2014). "Wye Oak's new video for "The Tower"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  17. ^ Jewett, Chad (January 31, 2014). "Wye Oak – The Tower". Half Cloth. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  18. ^ Cox, Jamieson (March 18, 2014). "Glory by Wye Oak". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  19. ^ McGovern, Kyle (March 17, 2014). "Hear Wye Oak's Brainy, Buzzing New Single 'Glory'". Spin. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  20. ^ "Wye Oak – The Tower (Official Music Video)". April 3, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2020 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "Wye Oak – Glory". YouTube. April 30, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Geslani, Michelle (May 1, 2014). "Wye Oak's super weird new video for "Glory"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  23. ^ Hubbard, Michael (December 6, 2014). "MusicOMH's Top 100 Albums of 2014". MusicOMH. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  24. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2014". Stereogum. December 2, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  25. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2014". Stereogum. June 14, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  26. ^ "Under the Radar's Top 140 of 2014". Under the Radar. December 12, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  27. ^ a b c d Rettig, James (February 20, 2024). "Wye Oak Announce Shriek Reimaginings with Composer William Brittelle". Stereogum. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  28. ^ "First Listen: Wye Oak, 'Shriek'". NPR.org.
  29. ^ "Wye Oak Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  30. ^ "Wye Oak Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  31. ^ "Wye Oak Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  32. ^ "Wye Oak Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
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