Wye Oak nails its balancing act for enthusiastic fans old and new at the El Rey Theatre

Seraphina Lotkhamnga on July 14th, 2014

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Those who made their way into the El Rey Theatre on Thursday night got an intimate show with the Baltimore duo Wye Oak, who recently released their album “Shriek” via Merge. It was a special show considering it was the first time many fans were hearing the new direction Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack had gone for this latest record. As the two did at Coachella earlier this year, Wye Oak unveiled their sonic shift from guitar-driven ballads to synth-pop tunes, leaving long-time fans intrigued and new fanatics hooked.

||| Photos by Kelsey Heng

A reinvention did not slow Wye Oak down as they charged into new and bouncier tunes such as “Before,” “Tower” and the album’s title track “Shriek.” Playing
through a different filter even had Wasner and Stack seeming a bit rejuvenated on stage. However, fans didn’t come alive until Wasner played the beginning chords of “Holy, Holy,” a track off of 2011’s “Civilian.” Wye Oak followed up with “Plains,” another cut from the gut-wrenching album, but it didn’t take long for them to return to upbeat tunes such as “Glory” and “Sick Talk.”

Doing a balancing act for their fans, Wye Oak showcased new dreamy, percolating synth-pop songs but also dipped deep into their catalog for “For Prayer” and “That I Do” from 2009’s “The Knot.” Â Although it was still a beautiful to see a duo command a room as these two did, there a different energy compared to previous tours. Their staple introspective ballad “I Hope You Die” was missing from the set, but their encore did appease older fans with a few regulars and obvious tunes such as their Kate Bush cover “Running Up That Hill” (a song they are unfortunately retiring after this tour) and their biggest hit to date “Civilian.”

“Shriek” and “Civilian” were certainly churned out in two very different fashions, but one thing is still in tact. Wasner’s ability to crystallize lyrics such as “Perfectly able to hold my own hand / But I still can’t kiss my own neck” before ferocious waves of shoegaze seized the moment is still as evocative as ever live. It was a night when Wye Oak proved that pathos could come from both ends of the musical spectrum.

Philadelphia, Pa.,-based duo Pattern Is Movement preceded with their shape-shifting R&B tunes, including a stellar cover of D’Angelo’s “How Does It Feel (Untitled).”