Wye Oak @ King Tut's, Glasgow, 13 June
Tonight, Wye Oak’s sound echoes their stage setup: lots of space, lots of room to breathe. The Baltimore duo lean heavily on new album Shriek, letting its synth-led melodies set the evening’s tone: Before’s skittering drums and throbbing bassline act as an alluring step-off point, while the band’s newfound passion for lucid electronics is further explored on the glimmering title track and the ice-cool pop of Glory. As Andy Stack fluidly multitasks between drum kit and keys, Jenn Wasner provides impressively lithe vocals, her ennui-laced delivery later turned towards an appealing cover of Running up That Hill in the encore.
If there’s a downside to Wye Oak’s handsome reinvention, however, it’s an occasional dip in energy, with attentions dissipating during the set’s more diaphanous numbers. But luckily, they’ve an effective remedy on hand; an intermittent return to earlier, guitar-led material, with muscular renditions of Holy Holy and Civilian particularly effective at shaking things up and restoring enthusiasm. [Chris Buckle]