Posted August 10, 2020 by Jeff in Tunes
 
 

Wye Oak Reaches to the Choir on New Album

Wye Oak
Wye Oak

On July 31, indie rockers Wye Oak released their latest effort, No Horizon, a new collection of songs written for and featuring contributions from the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, a renowned ensemble which has also collaborated with David Byrne and the National.

The final pre-release single, “Spitting Image,” features flinty incidental sounds and Jenn Wasner’s pristine vocals.

“‘Spitting Image’ is about trying to manage the sheer volume of information we are expected to absorb to exist,” says Wasner in a press release about the single and forthcoming album. “As naturally curious creatures, the idea of seeing everything at once initially sounds intriguing, but, of course, we quickly reach the limits of what we can consume, and are forced to contend with how little we can actually control.”

The song aims to “emulate the feeling of emotional and psychological overload as the waves of excess exceed the limit of our capacity to absorb them.”

No Horizon, which a press release describes as “eerie and dreamy, a complicated, unpredictable amalgamation of thoughtful lyrics, steely glints of synths and effects, lithe guitar lines, and the depth of Wasner’s voice,” benefits from the presence of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, which makes it seems as if the songs feature orchestral arrangements.

The EP is pressed on 12-inch opaque pink vinyl housed in a printed clear plastic sleeve. Pre-orders of No Horizon are shipping now from the Merge Records store, and you can also pick it up wherever records are sold.

Photo: Lissa Gotwals


Jeff

 
Jeff started writing about rock ’n’ roll some 20 years ago when he stood in the pouring rain to hitch hike his way to see R.E.M. on their Life’s Rich Pageant tour. Since that time, he's written for various daily newspapers, alt-weeklies, magazines and websites. Feel free to comment on his posts or suggest music, film and art to him at [email protected].