YES! The second song from the Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak) and Jon Ehrens (White Life) collaboration Dungeonnesse. “Shucks” is the opening track to the upcoming S/T LP out on May 14th (via Secretly Canadien). This is a straight up classic R&B jam. I’m in awe. I’m going out on a limb to say this might be one of my favorite albums of the year so far, eventhough I’ve only heard two tracks from it.
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25. Gathered Ghosts – Gathered Ghosts
mp3: Gathered Ghosts – Feels Like Nothing
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24. Dum Dum Girls – Only In Dreams
mp3: Dum Dum Girls – Hold Your Hand
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23. Yung Life – Youth’s Hours
mp3: Yung Life – I Be Scared
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22. White Life – White Life
mp3: White Life – Time Is Wasting
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21. The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient
mp3: The War On Drugs – Baby Missiles
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20. Active Child – You Are All I See
mp3: Active Child – Hanging On
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19. Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
mp3: Shabazz Palaces – Swerve… the reeping of all that is worthwhile (Noir not withstanding)
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18. Peaking Lights – 936
mp3: Peaking Lights – All The Sun That Shines
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17. Son Lux – We Are Rising
mp3: Son Lux – Rising
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16. SPORTS – SPORTS
mp3: SPORTS – Mind Has Changed
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15. Panda Bear – Tomboy
Panda Bear – Surfer’s Hymn
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14. Luke Temple – Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care
mp3: Luke Temple – Ophelia
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13. gsstoak – MT. INTERNET
mp3: gsstoak – goleg
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12. Moss Of Aura – Wading
mp3: Moss Of Aura – Jaminal
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11. Dominant Legs – Invitation
mp3: Dominant Legs – Where We Trip The Light
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10. Born Gold – Bodysongs
mp3: Born Gold – Early Birthday
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9. John Maus – We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
mp3: John Maus – Believer
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8. Future Islands – On The Water
mp3: Future Islands – Balance
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7. Police Academy 6 – Police Academy 6
mp3: Police Academy 6 – Fill in the Blanks (featuring Top Girls)
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6. Gauntlet Hair – Gauntlet Hair
mp3: Gauntlet Hair – Top Bunk
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5. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
mp3: Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
4. Wye Oak – Civilian
mp3: Wye Oak – Civilian
3. Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital
mp3: Handsome Furs – Serve The People
2. Youth Lagoon – The Year Of Hibernation
mp3: Youth Lagoon – Cannons
1. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo
mp3: Kurt Vile – In My Time
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Holy crap there was truck loads of good music this year. This list is, of course, by no means perfect, and I most certainly could switch around the order with whatever mood I’m in that day. But in the end Mr. Kurt Vile and his beauty of an LP was played and enjoyed more than any other album this year. The same can be said for Sound Kapital (Youth Lagoon has just been killing my ears lately – so it shot up the chart). Wye Oak’s Civilian was a definite grower on me. For some odd reason the first couple of plays on that album didn’t fly too well, but over time I really began to cherish that set of tunes. Supremely powerful and well written. Now on to 2012…where many big big big big things await (stay tuned).
Yesterday my heart skipped a beat when my pal Jimmy over at Head Underwater posted this track from Flock of Dimes, the solo project of Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner. It skipped another when I pressed play.
Prison Bride by Flock of Dimes
The track is a submission to Friends Records‘ 2011 comp which I am simply giddy to hear.
Also Flock of Dimes will be playing here in Baltimore at the Soft House on May 5th – be there.
Flock of Dimes Links: Facebook | Soundcloud
If you’ve been following my Tumblr you might have seen my post a few days ago of this new Wye Oak track “Civilian”. I’m so in love with this track right now, I thought it deserved a little more attention and just a little info on what’s new with the Baltimore duo. They have a new LP, Civilian, due out next March on Merge, and after hearing this track, its destined to be one of my favorites. For the album they enlisted the help of mixing engineer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Modest Mouse, Shearwater). This let Jenn and Andy get a completely different angle on their music. I think “Civilian” shows just that.
mp3: Wye Oak – Civilian
extra->
mp3: Wye Oak – I Hope You Die
Wye Oak will launch a pretty sizable tour next year. Check the dates after the jump.
What do you get when you take an already solid Mickey Free hip-hop track and add some sultry R&B vocals from Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner and end it with some smooth sax playing by Wye Oak’s other half, Andy Stack as well as some guitar chops from Arbouretum’s Dave Heumann? An epic (wait, I mean EPIC) soulful song about love and love lost. Check it:
mp3: Mickey Free – Never Enough (feat. Wye Oak)
Stream Mickey Free’s LP Last Of The Tight Wiggers and pick up another free track on his bandcamp.
I don’t know if anything could have made me smile more than when I found out that Baltimore’s Wye Oak was releasing a new EP My Neighbor/My Creator (via Merge). Last year their sophomore effort The Knot found itself at the top of my favorite albums list. With this EP the duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack have opened up their sound a bit in the spirit of collaboration bringing in the production powers of the brothers Freeland (Chris and Mickey). The keyboard rich sound is something unexpected with Wye Oak, but it works…damn does it work. Here’s a track off it:
mp3: Wye Oak – I Hope You Die
It’s hard to believe a song entitled “I Hope You Die” would warm you up…but hey…its the truth. The closer of the EP is a remix that still might be the best remix I’ve heard in a long while. Mickey Free is just that good:
mp3: Wye Oak – That I Do (Mickey Free Remix)
Get the EP digitally right now via Merge or wait to pick up the physical version on April 20th.
Wye Oak have announce a sweet and sugary mega fall tour with Blitzen Trapper (they stop by Baltimore on October 10th to the Ottobar ->more dates after the jump). To help celebrate Baltimore’s own hip hop artist Mickey Free (of Height With Friends fame) did a GREAT remix of Wye Oak’s “That I Do” off of The Knot. I was initially nervous about this endeavor since “That I Do” is such a favorite of mine (though it really is hard to pick favorites among all the stellar tracks on The Knot). But Mickey Free throws down some Construction Time Again mashed with Love and Rockets mashed with 808s aka CRAZY GOOD musicness to embrace Jen Wasner’s vocals. It works is what I’m trying to get at. And the brief rhyme and police sirens are dope as well. Check it:
mp3: Wye Oak – That I Do (Mickey Free Remix)
mp3: Wye Oak – That I Do
Photo of Mickey Free
