Wye Oak is an act named after the nation’s largest white oak tree, located in Wye Oak State Park, Maryland. The group is a diminutive musical duo, however, comprised of instrumentalists/vocalists Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner. And with the exception of their various size varieties, most oak trees pretty much look exactly alike: thick trunks, leaves attached to branches, and such. But If Children songs amount to a rather extensive forest of mismatched trees, with each succeeding growth a little different from the previous one. A track titled “Regret,” for instance, features Stack on lead vocals and -- with its comforting finger picked acoustic guitar part -- may remind you a little of The Shins. “Family Glue,” on the other hand, is held together with amplified fiddle, which gives it a Waterboys vibe. But Mike Scott’s songs are usually irrepressibly positive; that’s not the case here, however. Within it, Wasner states, “I am family glue,” with no small measure of regret. Although Wasner takes lead vocals most the time, works like “Archaic Smile” find Wasner and Stack singing a duet together. Wye Oak is clearly inspired by folk music, although these musicians many times back up their unique take on folk music with plenteous electric guitar feedback, the same way Jesus and Mary Chain once noised-up Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound studio template. For instance, “Orchard Fair” exemplifies Wye Oak’s feedback fetish. Although it’s sometimes hard to tell exactly what kind of tree it is, Wye Oak nevertheless stands tall.
-- Dan MacIntosh [April 13, 2008]
