So the thing is: I like Wye Oak recorded just fine. I listen to their records, I enjoy them, they’re good, and I think Civilian is even breathtaking in moments. But it’s live, live Wye Oak sounds like a heartbeat to me, and because I am from Baltimore and they are from Baltimore, it doesn’t matter what the song is about, it is the heartbeat of where I am from, what made me me. And anyone who is from Baltimore or who has lived there for any period of time knows that the city leaves bruises on you, fingerprint bruises under your skin that nobody else sees, unless they’ve lived there, too. So Wye Oak is the heartbeat of the bruises that Baltimore has left on me, the good ones and the bad, the secret ones and the ones that are wide open, and I took photos, but eventually whenever I see Wye Oak I just have to put the camera down and close my eyes and tilt my head back and listen to the beat of where I’m from, bass drum shivering up my spine and Jenn’s voice and the secrets that nobody in Baltimore tells.

And that’s what I think about when I see Wye Oak play.

They played heavily from Civilian and they sounded huge and fantastic; it was an amazing night.

A few more shots of both Wye Oak and Lower Dens behind the jump, and full set here.