If Children＜Red & White Splatter Vinyl＞

Wye Oak are classic indie rockers. Bringing together elements of shoegaze, psych folk, space rock, neo-psychedelia, and good old indie rock, listening to their debut album If Children is like taking a master class in indie rock (with a large section on Yo La Tengo and the male-female duo dynamic). Unlike school, though, it's actually quite a pleasant experience. The duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack never let their influences get in the way of a lovely melody or a satisfying noise freak-out. Wasner handles guitar duties like a pro, creating large walls of noise or gently picking out quiet lines when the occasion calls for it. Stack's drumming is solid and his work on keyboards is, too. The vocal duties are split and shared, sounding very nice on their own and quite sweet when blended together. The songs are for the most part minor-key and melancholy, often flecked with feedback ("Orchard Fair") or waves of distortion (the majestic "I Don't Feel Young"), and occasionally confessional with violins ("Family Glue"). They add up to an album that won't exactly take your breath away but will be something you go back to when you're feeling kind of autumnal, laid-back, and want some tunes to wash gently over you. It's nice to see Merge taking time off from ruling the indie rock world to take chances on bands like Wye Oak whose members probably grew up listening to Merge releases. ~ Tim Sendra