Shriek | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 29, 2014 | |||
Studio | Rare Book Room, Brooklyn, USA[1] | |||
Genre | Indie pop | |||
Length | 41:34 | |||
Language | English | |||
Label |
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Producer | Nicolas Vernhes | |||
Wye Oak chronology | ||||
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Singles from Shriek | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 76/100[2] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
The A.V. Club | A−[4] |
Consequence of Sound | C+[5] |
Drowned in Sound | 7/10[6] |
The Line of Best Fit | 8.5/10[7] |
MusicOMH | [8] |
NME | [9] |
Pitchfork | 7.2/10[10] |
Rolling Stone | [11] |
Spin | 7/10[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]
The album was produced by French producer Nicolas Vernhes at the Rare Book Room Studios in Brooklyn.[1]
On January 30, 2014, Wye Oak announced the release of their fourth studio album, along with the single, "The Tower".[15]
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]
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]
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]
Publication | Accolade | Rank |
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MusicOMH | MusicOMH's Top 100 Albums of 2014 | 70[23]
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Stereogum | Stereogum's Top 50 Albums of 2014 | 4[24]
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Stereogum's Top 50 Albums of 2014 – Mid-Year | 21[25]
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Under the Radar | Under the Radar's Top 140 Albums of 2014 | 9[26]
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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]
All tracks are written by Jenn Wasner[28]
No. | Title | Length |
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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 |
No. | Title | Length |
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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 |
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
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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 |
Studio albums | |||||
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Related articles |
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