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Wye Oak, a Baltimore-based indie rock duo comprised of Jenn Wasner (guitar, vocals) and Andy Stack (drums, vocals), took their name from a symbolic 460-year-old tree in their home state of Maryland. Formed in 2006 under the moniker Monarch, Wasner and Stack recorded their first album gypsy style, bouncing around various basements and apartments, eventually landing a record deal with indie heavyweight Merge. The label would go on to release the act's 2008 debut, If Children, as well as the 2009 follow-up Knot and 2010 EP My Neighbor/My Creator. By the time of their 2011 self-produced album, Civilian, which was also released by Merge, Wasner and Stack were producing the finest work of their career and firmly placed themselves near the top of the indie rock pile. ~ James Christopher Monger