Wye Oak went syntheziser-happy on a welcoming Union Transfer crowd

Wye Oak took the bold step of ditching their classic indie guitar rock in favor of a synthesizer for their newest album Shriek. While Jenn Wasner has expressed some apprehension on whether or not the gamble would pay off, the crowd at Union Transfer on Monday night welcomed the duo with open arms. The mixture of synths and guitars breathed new life in to the duos catalogue, and beefed up already meaty songs such as “Holy Holy.” It as a stripped down affair (as stripped down as one could be with a bunch of plugged in instruments), just the two of them laying it all out on stage, and as the giddy couple next to me predicted, faces were melted.

Openers Braid have an ethereal style that perfectly compliments some of the grittier edges of Wye Oaks music. After a rough start (they were a bit off sync on song 1 and had to start over), they serenaded us all in to the main event.