Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack have turned their indie duo, Wye Oak, from a dive bar touring act to a headlining band and this week the group reached a new milestone with a performance of "The Tower" alongside their hometown Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
The homecoming show took place Thursday night at Baltimore's Meyerhoff Symphony Hall as the band performed a special version of the single off their 2014 release, Shriek.
"The Tower" adapts really well to a modern orchestral arrangement, sounding like a fusion of Gershwin jazz era arrangements with indie rock. The symphony turned the stripped down electric bass and drum duet into a massive production complete with bright strings and horns.
Violins pierce through the duo's regular arrangement, trumpets cut through and grade against the driving bass riff and the orchestra's percussion section adds bells and chimes to the chugging drum set. As Wasner's vocals softly subside, the orchestra takes over with a beautiful arrangement that complements the theme of the song well. Watch the performance below.
Wye Oak wraps up its tour with performances in New York and Boston this weekend and will hopefully head back to the studio soon for new music, but there has been no indication of a new album yet. Visit the band's website for updates and tour details.
The band's album, Shriek, rattled preconceived conventions about Wye Oak as a typical indie rock group as the Baltimore natives pushed its sound into new deep bass sounds that converged with the house music coming out of the city. This new collaboration with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra shows the duo is still pushing the limits of its sound and experimenting with new avenues to express their music.
Listen to the original song below.
